Life After Riddle
by Kaishakai
Summary: What if things had just gone a slightly bit different in the final battle between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter? Harry is still alive, but thanks to a spell he is a bit different. Enter, Hailey Potter, who soon becomes Draco's new love interest.
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

"_Avada Kadevra_!"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The two voices rang out simultaneously and everyone held their breath as the two jets of light connected. Red and green came together with a show of sparks, the two battling until they finally shot off in separate directions.

Harry quickly drew in a breath of air and expelled it on a curse. Across from him Voldemort let out a growl of frustration and brought his wand up for another attack. Harry quickly threw up a shield charm and jumped to the side before rolling to avoid the next spell aimed at him.

Voldemort's cruel laughter sounded out. "See how he runs like a coward. He does not deserve your loyalty, just watch as he tries to escape." Harry ignored the comment and climbed to his feet with his wand at the ready. Again Voldemort laughed, barely pausing for breath before he gleefully called out, "_Sectumsempra_."

Shock coursed through his body as the words were spoken to a spell that only himself and Snape had ever used and it held him rooted as the spell hit him. Blood arched high into the air and Harry watched with a horrid fascination as it spread out in a wide spray. Then the pain hit. It tore across his body, cutting deep into his chest and abdomen with such a force that he was knocked backwards. A scream of agony danced along his lips and Voldemort's voice echoed dimly in his ears.

"See how he cowers on the floor, your _savior_; the Boy Who Lived. Listen to him scream." He called out with satisfaction. "Even now he wishes for one of you to step in and save him, to give up your life while he escapes. Just as everyone else did earlier tonight. They died fighting his battle, but Potter does not care does he? Instead he wants you to fight this losing war. He is just as pathetic as his worthless parents and that traitorous Sirius Black."

He turned to face Harry and a dark and strange sensation coursed through the boy's body. Anger built up and twisted in upon itself as Voldemort talked, becoming an evil monster that demanded vengeance and hungered for the taste of blood. But Voldemort took no notice of any of this as he chuckled wryly.

"They were all pathetic and deserved what happened to them. Black for turning a blood traitor and the Potters," Voldemort caressed his wand as he seemed to reflect upon or reminiscence about something. "They were very unwise trying to fight against me, the Dark Lord. They thought they could hide from Lord Voldemort, and they were foolish enough to face me without their wands. They both died begging like the worthless dogs they were."

Unbidden, the memory came to mind of the night that Voldemort had found them. Harry remembered watching it all happen through Voldemort's eyes and the anger inside of him reached its boiling point. Voldemort was so caught up in his retelling of the event to pay any attention to Harry who was struggling to his feet. His pain was forgotten and his wand hung uselessly in his grasp. Red tinted his vision and he lost control as he charged at the man responsible for so many deaths.

Voldemort was caught off guard by the direct attack as he was tumbled to the ground. Harry scrambled away from him and took the opportunity to point his wand, "_Crucio_!"

Voldemort fell to the floor as the curse connected, his body writhing in agony and his screams filling the Great Hall as immense pain grabbed hold of him and held tightly. Harry struggled to his feet with anger still coursing through him. Again he held his wand up, pointing it at the tormented man. "_Crucio_!"

The screams escalated in volume and Voldemort's body turned rigid as, at that one simple word, the pain seemed to increase immensely. The beast inside of Harry reared back and cried in satisfaction, reveling in the cries of torture and demanding for more. A sense of triumph coursed through his veins.

A shocked cry sounded nearby and Harry turned to see Hermoine and Ron had both stepped forward with unease written on their faces. Seeing them was like a fierce splash of cold water. He was immediately filled with shame and the feeling of wrongness intruded enough to stamp down the monster inside of him. Looking around, he spotted several members of the DA close by, all with equal looks of either shock or unease.

The red faded from his vision and he canceled the curse with a simple flick of his wand. Hermoine and Ron still looked uneasy but as their eyes connected with his they both nodded their heads and unease changed to understanding and acceptance. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the last of the red faded away.

Behind him, Voldemort struggled up to his knees, his snakelike eyes slit in bewilderment. "Why did you not finish it?"

Harry turned and gave him a grim smile. "The first time I tried the Cruciatus Curse, it didn't work and Bellatrix told me that in order to use it, you have to really mean it. Since then, I've managed to successfully use both it and the Imperius Curse several times. But never before have I meant it as much as just now. For a moment there I was enjoying it; I took pleasure in hearing you scream in agony. I wanted you to suffer for everyone that you've killed or caused pain for." Harry grasped his wand tightly as his eyes began to burn. "You and your Death Eaters have taken just about everything away from me. My mum and dad, Sirius, Dumbledore, Cedric, Lupin, Tonks, Fred, Dobby. And there are still countless others. And for what? Because you wanted to be the most powerful wizard to have ever lived, but ended up getting scared when someone made a prophecy about your fall? The best part is you never even heard the whole prophecy, you've only heard a portion of it." Harry shook his head. "The whole thing is kind of mental to begin with." He laughed humorlessly,

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…

"At least that's what Professor Trewalney told Dumbledore near on eighteen years ago. And what's funny about this is that if you never heard it, and if you had never tried to kill me in the first place, none of this would be happening." Harry chuckled again. "The thing about prophecies, or so I've been told, is that they don't always come to pass. But by attacking me you set the whole thing into action and have brought us to this. 'Either must die at the hand of the other'…well, the way I see it is that I've already died once at your hands and didn't stay that way which I take as meaning that it's not me Death wants. You are."

He motioned at Voldemort to stand up. "I'm not a cold-blooded killer which means that we're going to do this the right way. Stand up, Riddle. It's passed time for this to be over and the Elder Wand to be with its proper owner."

Harry watched as a sneering Voldemort struggled to stand up on shaky legs. He was almost standing when he lifted his wand, the curse on his lips before anyone even noticed, "_Avada Kadevra_!"

Harry's own arm came up out of instinct, Draco's wand in hand, "_Expelliarmus_!"

This time there was no battle of spells. The two met head on, colliding in a show of golden flames and a blast much like that of cannon fire. Harry watched as the two spells met, the green rebounding from the flames as the Elder Wand flew high into the air crossing under the enchanted ceiling and towards the master it recognized and so would not kill. Harry, with the unerring skill of a true Seeker, caught it and took full possession of the wand just as the green jet of light connected with Voldemort, causing the man to fall backwards with arms spread wide and his scarlet eyes rolling upward in his slitted eyes. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a deafening finality; his body shriveled while his cold hands lay empty and his snakelike face turned blank and devoid of all life.

The entire hall was silent as the shock of the moment held them in its grasp until, just as quickly, it was broken as screams and cheers roared through the air from the watchers. The sun shown down on the scene, bathing them in its warmth as everyone surrounded Harry. Before he could blink he found people on every side of him, people who had loved and hated him in turns but were now determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the one who was responsible for it all finally being over. Ron and Hermoine were hugging him as everyone's voices filled his head. It was not long before Neville, Ginny, and Luna managed to push closer to him, followed quickly by the rest of the Weasleys as well as McGonnagall, Hagrid, Kingsley, Sprout, and Flitwick. Harry could not understand a word anyone was saying as all the noises and voices and people began blurring together.

Things slowly began to settle down and everybody began breaking off into groups to discuss everything that had happened. Riddle's body was moved and the House tables were back though nobody cared where they sat as they all simply mixed together. Everyone was just sitting and laughing without any care of who was with them. Teachers and students, ghosts, parents, centaurs, and house-elves all intermingled. They were simply rejoicing at the final end of things.

The sun continued rising, spreading light and cheer over Hogwarts. Harry continued going around, shaking hands, receiving thanks, offering apologies for those lost, and listening to the news that quickly began pouring in. The Imperiused were back to normal, the Death Eaters were fleeing and being rounded up in turn, innocents were released from prison, Kingsley Shacklebot was named the Minister of Magic, and McGonnagall had been named as the Headmistress of Hogwarts…

Harry dealt with it all, but through the span of the next hour he had become not only tolerant of the pain of his wounds, which everyone seemed to have forgotten about, but completely numb to it even as blood continued to trickle out of the wounds. Watching now as the other wounded were tended to he began to feel dizzy. The noises began to lessen and it sounded as if his head was stuffed with cotton. Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he fainted, but he did not want anyone worrying over him when there were still so many others in need of help.

He waited until he was sure no one was looking before he pulled out his Cloak and slid it over his head, quickly making an escape. He moved through the Great Hall unseen by anyone. As he walked down the aisle between tables he saw Neville sitting with the sword of Godric Gryffindor beside him, surrounded by a large knot of girls. He also saw Ginny sitting a table with her mother beside her and George and Oliver Wood heading towards them. He also could not help but notice when Wood spotted Ginny, obviously liking the way she had matured over the years. Strangely, this fact did not seem to bother Harry at all. Just a few hours ago he was sad about having to die, over never being able to see Ginny again and how he was in love with her, yet now he did not care that another man was eyeing her.

He continued on, spotting the three Malfoys ahead of him huddled together as if unsure if they were supposed to still be there. Harry almost tripped over Draco when a dizzy spell hit him, his foot caught the edge of Draco's robe but he doubted the boy even noticed so he continued on his way and exited into the main entrance hall where he slowly made his way up the stairway. He was not sure where he was going but he continued to walk through the halls of the castle, taking everything in. Chunks were missing in various places along the stairs and from the walls, parts of the railing were completely gone, and every few steps there was either rubble or bloodstains. Peeves was flying around the castle, no doubt singing yet another original composition. Harry did not bother to pay it any attention.

With every step he took the world seemed to close in on him more and more. The reality of losing Fred and Lupin and Tonks finally hit him, causing the older wounds of Cedric's murder and the deaths of Sirius and Dumbledore, followed by the fact that none of them, in addition to his parents and countless others who he never got the chance to know, would ever get to see the sun rise upon a Riddle/Voldemort free day. Every step became more and more painful as memories began to assail him. Memory after memory rushed at him, drowning him in pain and sorrow until he collapsed from it all. He fell against the nearest wall and slid along it until he hit the floor, his body wracked by great heaving sobs.

It was not until he felt the supporting hands holding on to him that he realized he was no longer alone. Looking up, he recognized Ron and Hermoine and was briefly shocked to see Draco standing with them.

"Harry, are you okay mate?" Ron asked him.

"Of course he's not." Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Sure he's finally defeated Voldemort but now everything else is starting to catch up with him. He's feeling guilty for everyone who died while he still lives."

Harry leaned his head back and let it rest against the wall as he gave a wry smile. _Of course she is right_, Harry thought, _she always is_. He felt both pain and guilt. He felt guilty for being able to escape death, not once but twice, while so many others had not been as lucky, and his body was beginning to go cold from the pain of the wounds Riddle had induced. At the same time though he felt a rushing sense of relief and wonder at having won.

Right on the foot of these feelings came the longing to sleep; it was the most pressing urge at the moment and he doubted that anything would be able to stave it off for long. He wanted to lie down and close his eyes, to let everything drain from him and leave him relaxed and at peace. But Harry owed them some explanation of what had happened. They, if no one else, deserved the truth and so he told them everything in painstaking detail. He recounted what he had seen in the Pensieve, his thoughts and findings afterwards, and everything that had happened in the woods and with his meeting with Dumbledore.

Once everything had been told they simply sat in a long silence. It was several more moments until Draco decided to break it. "So what are you planning to do now, Potter?"

Ron jumped and seemed to notice the other boy for the first time. "What are you doing here for anyway, Malfoy?" he sneered.

"He's the one who told us Harry left in the first place, remember?" Hermione scolded the red head.

"That doesn't explain what he's still here for." Ron shot back.

This time it was Harry's turn to sigh, only his was a tired and sad affair as he reached up to pull the Cloak off. "I really don't know, Malfoy. Right now all I want to do is go to sleepc and maybe wake up as a normal person. I've had enough of all of this." He waved a hand through the air to showcase the castle and its currently ruined state. "Everyone always thinks that it would be so cool to be me and that being famous is the best thing in life and that I love it all. They're wrong," He said on a sigh. "I've hated it from the moment I was exposed to it. Before, I was treated with mild neglect, barely noticed by my own family really, then I came here. From the time I was eleven I've been in constant danger and, through our bonds, so have my friends…"

Hermoine shifted so she was sitting in front of him. "Harry, that's not true."

"Yea, Hermoine, it is," He said defiantly. "First year we all almost got killed when Voldemort was living on the back of Quirrell's head and he wanted the Sorcerer's Stone. There was the Devil's Snare, the 'Quidditch Key' incident, the life-sized game of Wizard's Chess where we were the pawns, trying to pick the right potion to get through the flames without burning alive, and then there was facing Quirrell/Voldemort."

"That actually wasn't too bad," Hermoine objected.

"Obviously you've already forgotten Fluffy. Remember that huge three-headed dog, you know the one that tried to _eat_ us?" Ron reminded Hermoine, silencing himself when she shot him a glare.

Harry continued on though. "Then second year was when everyone got petrified and Ginny got taken into the Chamber of Secrets where she almost had her life drained by Riddle and I had to fight the giant basilisk which would have killed me if Fawkes hadn't shown up. Oh, and everyone thought I was the Heir to Slytherin."

"Let's not forget the giant spiders that tried to eat us!" Ron declared.

"Yes, but you were able to find and destroy the first Horcrux." Hermoine pointed out.

"Third year actually wasn't that bad. We found out Sirius was innocent and that he was my godfather while Pettigrew was the one to sell my parents out. Though the dementors did try to perform the kiss on us and everything… But fourth year was when Riddle had a Death Eater pose as Moody and enter me into the TriWizard Tournament. I then had to face dragons and merpeople and get through the maze of monsters until the Tournament Cup turned into a portkey that took me and Cedric to the graveyard where he was killed and I was used to bring back Voldemort before being forced into a duel that I barely escaped from."

"See, not all that bad." Hermoine said in a small voice.

"And let's not forget our fifth year. Over the summer Umbridge sent dementors after me which nearly got my cousin killed and me expelled and everyone thought I was a crackpot. I kept accessing Voldemort's mind and had to take those horrible Occlumecy lessons with Snape as well as detentions with Umbridge where she made me repeatedly slice my hand open. We also started up the DA which only served at nearly killing you two, Neville, Luna, and Ginny when I led us into Voldemort's trap at the Ministry of Magic that actually killed Sirius."

"Yes, but you were able to bring it to everyone's attention that Voldemort was back," Hermoine argued, looking at Ron for support.

"Fat lot of good that did me." He said on a tired sigh. "Last year I nearly killed Malfoy and had to watch as Dumbledore died."

"You did more than that," Ron said.

Hermoine eagerly nodded. "You found out everything there was to know about Voldemort from when he was still Tom Riddle and you went with Dumbledore to try and find the other Horcruxes."

"Only to find a fake," He pointed out.

"Enough, Harry," Hermoine declared heatedly, tired of him putting himself down. "We never would have known about or found any of the Horcruxes without you. This last year me and Ron have been with you and seen everything that you have; we've been running and hiding, nearly starving a few times, and having a few very close calls, especially at Godric's Hollow and at the Malfoy manor, but we survived. We were able to do a great number of things. We actually snuck into the Ministry of Magic, stole back Moody's eye, snatched the third Horcrux from Umbridge with her none the wiser about it, helped a group of innocent people escape, and then managed to escape ourselves. We broke into Gringotts with me dressed as Bellatrix and pulled it off before getting the fourth Horcrux and escaping on a blind dragon only to turn around and come here, find the fifth and sixth Horcruxes. Then you try to sacrifice yourself to save all of us and come back and defeat the Dark Lord. Harry, that is a lot to accomplish."

Ron and Draco were both nodding in agreement, Draco looking a bit shocked at everything they had done, but Harry just shook his head sadly. "Hermoine, you were tortured and nearly killed, Dobby was killed protecting me, and now, because they were fighting my fight, Fred is dead, Teddy is an orphan, and Snape gave up his life to help further the cause. and the main reason I tried to sacrifice myself is because I found out I was a Horcrux myself. Dumbledore knew that and so did Snape."

Ron and Hermoine both looked ready to oppose him but Harry continued on, "Let's face it, this whole battle was my fault but now it's done and I'm just tired. I can't take any more of it. I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm their savior, that I can do anything, one moment and then the next to have all of them hate me because they believe _I _think I can do anything. I just want to a normal life where no one knows who I am except for my friends and where nobody is trying to kill me. I don't want to fight anymore, I'm done with it and I just want to sleep."

As he said this, Harry felt himself slipping sideways, felt as hands tried to catch him while darkness swallowed him. The blackness was absolute and he was happy as he allowed sleep to finally come and wrap him in its peaceful embrace.


	2. A Confession

_**Chapter 2: A Confession**_

_Silence surrounded him, engulfing him with its peace. There was nothing else yet he could feel that there should be. Felt that there should have been a room full of people with him- if nothing else, there should have at least been a him there. As it stood he was just a disembodied entity of some sort and, realizing this, thought, Death is a bit different this time_.

Someone chuckled. "You weren't exactly dead last time."

_Sirius? What are you doing here?_

Slowly, Harry's godfather began to materialize, a grin on his face. He looked young again, just as he had in the woods a few short hours ago. "Just came to see what you thought you were doing."

"It's not your time just yet."

_Lupin?_

Lupin appeared, Tonks coming into focus beside him. "I know you feel responsible for our deaths, Harry, but it was our decision to fight." He said calmly.

_But if—_

"No buts, Harry," said Tonks, "We chose this and we went knowing that our Teddy would be well taken care of."

Harry felt an air of sadness surround him. _Who is going to take care of him now?_

Lupin grinned and Sirius gave a booming laugh. "You, of course."

"If I know Minerva at all though, you will have to attend another year of school to make up for the last year. It might make rising a child a tad bit difficult."

Dumbledore appeared beside Sirius, his half-moon spectacles resting on the bridge of his crooked nose. Harry felt a wave of confusion as he looked at his friends and mentors.

_How? I'm dead._

"In a matter of speaking you are, but not truly."

Everything came to a dead standstill at the sound of this new voice. _Dad?_

Behind all of the others he could spot two figures who were slowly approaching them, two figures who were none other than Lily and James Potter.

_What do you mean, Dad?_

Watching the two approach, Harry noticed as the silence began to lessen, felt as it seemed to draw back from him the closer the two got. Small noises began filtering in until his parents came to a stop a short distance away. His mother was the one to answer.

"While I was still pregnant, Dumbledore came to us with warnings of the danger you would face. I began to look at my options to try and protect you, but there weren't many. At least not until a traveling wizard stopped to see us. Your father and I talked it over before enlisting Dumbledore's help."

"It was an ingenious idea really. Quite extraordinary bit of magic if I do say so myself," Dumbledore smiled. "Though it did not work out quite the way we expected."

_What was it supposed to do? _Harry thought.

"Well, from what the wizard told us, if we did everything correctly before you were born, it would implement some very good safeguards that, if you were to die, would ensure your continued life. It was sort of our Plan B, in case you died…and it does seem to be working…" Dumbledore trailed off, a bemused look on his face.

Harry felt as trepidition filled him. _How did it work then?_

Everyone looked as each other briefly before James cleared his throat. "Well, to put it quite plainly, you were reborn. The part of you that was Harry died because of the wounds you procured. Since this happened, the wards took effect and a new part has taken control."

Harry felt bewildered.

Dumbledore seemed to understand how he felt because he gave a soft smile. "In every being there are two parts. When we are created we have one of two choices. Now, one of your choices has been taken away which leaves the second to take over. Who you are will not change all that much, however you will have to adjust to certain aspects of your new self." He explained calmly.

_So if the part of me that was Harry died, what part is left?_

"My dear child, do you really need us to explain it to you?" Dumbledore chuckled.

Harry thought of it for a moment. Before birth there were several things that came down to a choice between two things. Life and death. Good or evil. But there was only one that fit into the current situation. The sex.

Lupin nodded calmly and Harry was not sure what to feel. _What you're saying is that the part of me, where I was a boy, is dead._

Several moments passed as he continued thinking it out. Then it clicked. _You turned me into a girl? _He asked incredulously.

James looked sheepish for a moment as he reached up to ruffle his hair. "It was not intentional."

"We were not for sure if the precaution would even be necessary," Dumbledore offered. "When you were spared the night Riddle tried to kill you, he made you into a Horcrux and so I assumed that was the precautionary spell. Your mother sacrificing herself simply built upon the spell and added an extra protection that safeguarded you until you were of age."

Everyone was smiling encouragingly and the trepidation increased. Lupin smiled warmly and took a cautious step forward. "This is not the way I would have done things, but I do understand their reasoning. When you wake up, just make sure to watch out for yourself and take care of Teddy for us. Make sure he knows that we do love him."

"And be sure to tell that twin of mine to raise enough trouble for both of us."

_Fred!_

Harry watched in astonishment as Fred Weasley and Cedric Diggory both joined the group and he felt as a sense of surrealness enveloped him.

"None other," the red head smiled, "Now, I think it's time for you to be waking up."

Harry began to feel anxious and nodded, dimly noting that he could feel his body again.

"Oh, and Harry?" Cedric called, causing Harry to focus on him, "You look great."

Beside the older boy, Fred began laughing and Sirius joined in after a quick, "Take care of yourself."

The anxious feeling grew but Harry fought it back. _One more question, _he said, _If I'm a girl now, what is my name supposed to be?_

Lily smiled. "Hailey," she said casting her husband a warm look. "Hailey Jane Potter."

And then the anxious feeling inside of him exploded.

Light slowly filtered through a nearby window, bringing with it a cool breeze. Several sounds blended together and Harry- no, _Hailey, _squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drown out the noises. All of the memories were still fresh and her mind was working on accepting the fact that after living almost eighteen years as a boy, she was now going to start living as a girl. She groaned at the realization.

There was an excited murmur to her right before a set of cool hands came to rest on her forehead. At the feeling, she slowly opened her eyes and everything came to her blurred and out of focus, even after someone helped her put her glasses on. Things gradually came into focus and she was able to discern Mrs. Weasley standing over her with a worried look on her face. Next to come into focus were Hermoine and Ginny followed by Draco, Wood, and the rest of the Weasleys who hung back with weird looks on their faces.

Before Hailey could say anything though, Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a hug, "Oh, we were so worried," she explained through her tears, "You should have told us you were injured and let us see to you. We almost lost you."

Tears came to Haileys eyes and she felt bad for worrying the distraught woman. She was not used to anyone worrying about her well-being so she felt horrible for making these people do so.

"Mum, Harry did die," Bill said. "You saw what happened when Ron and Malfoy brought Harry to us. His heart stopped beating and he quite breathing; his skin was white as I've ever seen." Bill turned to look at Hailey, a muscle jumping near his jaw. "You were dead for almost a whole hour before Madame Pomfrey came running, saying that something was happening. She said- she told us that your body started convulsing and changing like you had taken a polyjuice Potion or something. That was two days ago."

Hailey swallowed tightly and Mrs. Weasley immediately handed her a cup of pumpkin juice. "Nonsense. We just didn't look good enough," she reasoned.

After swallowing a few sips of her drink, Hailey tried to clear her throat. "He's right, Mrs. Weasley. Harry Potter did die that day; he is no more."

She looked startled at this statement but Hailey ignored it as she began to tell them everything that had happened. It took her several hours as they picked over every single detail and word that was passed. Once the telling was concluded Wood gave her a wondering look.

"So your name is Hailey now?" He asked and Hailey nodded. "And when you died, the only part to go was the part that made you a man?" George snickered but she ignored him as she nodded again. "And you came back as a girl?"

She nodded again and once more George chuckled as he elbowed Ron. "Came back very nicely too, eh, Ron?" He nudged.

Ron jerked and looked down at his feet, not saying anything. Hailey glared at the elder Weasley and reached up to rub her throat which was feeling raw. Something slid under her fingers feeling soft and silky and she grabbed hold of it, bringing it up to eye level for observation.

"What the—" she cut herself off as she studied it.

It was hair- her hair, she realized belatedly. While still black, her hair now reached down past her shoulders in a smooth cascade of soft curls. And holding it was a small and very dainty hand. She stared at the hand, still in the process of coming to terms with her change. She flexed her hand and watched in amazement as the smaller fingers reacted accordingly. It was strange to say the least, but at the same time it felt completely normal. She knew with the more time that passed, the more natural being a girl would feel- and that thought worried her more than the actual change did. And she flat out refused to look down at her chest to see how much or how little it had changed.

"I still can't believe they changed me into a girl." She huffed.

"A very nice looking girl, really." Oliver commented.

George smiled flirtatiously, "You're really quite hot."

Hailey felt her face flush as the two continued to talk. They were probably trying to make her feel better, but instead she felt embarrassed. Ron and Bill were both trying to look solemn and almost succeeded while Hermoine and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiled at her sympathetically. Oliver, George, Ginny and Percy had no such compunction as they promptly burst out with loud laughter and much teasing that not even Mrs. Weasley could quell.

Draco was polite enough to keep staring at his feet and Hailey felt a rush of gratitude towards the Slytherin boy. She tried to sit up enough to properly glare at the boys, but she only managed to get halfway there before a wave of giddiness overcame her. The room began to spin and she heard someone call out in distress but by then she was once more being swallowed by darkness.


	3. Funeral Arrangements

**Chapter 3: Funeral Arrangements**

After her fainting spell, Madame Pomfrey demanded Hailey stay in bed for a couple more days. The nurse had long given up on making everyone leave and instead pointedly ignored them all until it came time for bed when they would solemnly leave with the promise of returning before she woke. On her second day of forced bed rest, she woke to find that Kingsley and Professor McGonnagall had joined their little group in the hospital wing and she already knew that they would have a lot of questions for her, but first she had a few of her own that still needed answered. And she knew just where to go for those answers. She jumped to her feet, having to grab hold of Hermoine and Ginny as a wave of giddiness overcame her, before taking off and running out of the hospital wing, several worried voices calling after her. Hermoine, Ron, Ginny, and Draco all ran alongside her as she ran through the halls, jumping over what rubble remained and dodging other people as they went. None of them spoke as they ran, not saying a word until they reached their destination.

Since she had last seen it, the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's study had been knocked off and was now leaning against the wall beside the entrance. Hailey silently wondered if it even remembered passwords anymore after the fall it had taken during the battle.

"Can we go up?" She asked breathlessly.

"Go on ahead," It groaned drunkenly.

She nodded her head in thanks and they all walked past him and stepped onto the spiral staircase that was already up and lead to the top. She reached the top of the stairs and pushed the door open to the headmaster's office.

She had a brief glimpse of the stone Pensieve where she had left it before going to give herself over to Voldemort. Then a loud noise sounded, making her cry out as thoughts of curses and escaped Death Eaters came to mind— instead, it was applause.

All around her the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were clapping and cheering; they waved their hats and wigs, reached into neighboring portraits and shook hands, danced up and down on their chairs and, in some cases, cried in great delight. There were even a few catcalls which she blithely ignored. Hailey only had eyes for one man as it was. He raised his hands and all of the other portraits fell quiet.

Tears slid down the man's face from behind half-moon spectacles and fell into his long silver beard. The pride and sheer gratitude emanating from him were enough to fill Hailey with the same balm as a phoenix song.

She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. When she spoke, her words were chosen with great care and directed to Dumbledore.

"There are some things I want to ask you, but first I need to tell you some other things." Dumbledore nodded in understanding and so she began. "I dropped the thing that was in the Snitch. I'm not sure exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it and no one else knows where or even what it is."

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction while the other portraits looked curious and confused. "A wise and courageous decision, but that is no less than what I expected."

"I'm going to keep Ignotus's present though and continue to pass it on down my line," She continued and Dumbledore beamed.

"But of course."

"And then there's this." Hailey held up the Elder Wand, ignoring everyone's looks of extreme reverence. "I don't want it."

"Are you mental?" Ron asked loudly.

"It may be powerful," She continued over Ron, "But I was much happier with mine…"

She pulled out her old wand that was broken in half, just barely held together by the phoenix feather core, and placed it on the headmaster's desk. Touching it with the tip of the Elder Wand, she said, "_Reparo_."

As her wand resealed, red sparks flew out of the end and she knew that she had succeeded. She quietly picked up her old holly and phoenix feather wand and felt a sudden warmth go through her, as if she were whole again. Turning, she handed Draco back his wand before facing Dumbledore's portrait again.

"I'm going to put the Elder Wand back where it came from, where it can stay." She told Dumbledore who watched her with both affection and admiration "If I die a natural death like Ignotus, again, its power will be broken. The last master will never have been defeated and that'll be the end of it."

Dumbledore nodded and they smiled at each other.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"I think Hailey's right," Ginny said quietly and Hermoine nodded in agreement.

"That wand is more trouble than it's worth," Hailey said, "And quite honestly, I've had more than enough trouble for a lifetime."

Ron, Hermoine, and Ginny laughed while Draco smirked.

Hailey smiled too before turning serious again. "Now, I need some questions answered," She stated.

"Of course you do," Dumbledore smiled politely, "And I shall answer them to the best of my ability."

"While I was dead," she started, "My parents spoke to me. They said that while my mum was pregnant with me, you came and warned them about the prophecy."

"And you want to know how I knew to warn them and not the Longbottoms," asked Dumbledore and Hailey nodded. "To be honest I did not. At the time your parents and the Longbottoms were the only couple who were expecting children in June and who had escaped Riddle more than once. To him though the Potters were seen as the most dangerous. So, as to why I chose to warn them and not the Longbottoms, to put it plainly… was just a very well placed guess that Severus only later confirmed."

"So you just guessed that the Dark Lord would choose to off the Potters then?" Draco asked incredulously. "And what would have happened if you'd been wrong?"

"That, my dear boy, is a question I often find myself asking." Was all Dumbledore said in response.

Draco opened his mouth to say more but Hailey quickly spoke over him. "And so after that they met some traveling wizard who told them a way to help protect me."

"An ingenious idea really, Quite extraordinary bit of magic if I do say."

"You have," Hailey mumbled.

Dumbledore smiled, "Yes, indeed. Even so, I dare say it did not work quite as we had expected."

"What was it supposed to do?" said Hermoine.

"From what the wizard explained, if we did everything correctly before the child's birth then some very good safe guards would take effect that, if the child were to die, would ensure it's continued life. It does seem to have worked…" he trailed off, a bemused look on his face.

"Really? I would never have guessed." Hailey stated, angry dots of color appearing on her face. "Oh, right. Except for the fact that I've been turned in to a girl."

Dumbledore gave a slight cough and looked at her with a bit of chagrin. "Actually, to be quite honest, you were born a girl."

The whole room went quite and Hailey sputtered as she tried to respond.

"You were originally born as Hailey Jane Potter. However," Dumbledore's beard twitched and Hailey glared at his amusement. "A few moments after your birth you turned into a boy. Quite suddenly, too. It took us by surprise and gave us all quite a scare. It was several more moments before we realized it must have been one of the effects of the spell we had cast."

Hailey swallowed thickly. "So this whole time I've actually been a girl?" Dumbledore nodded. She threw her hands up in the air and turned away from the portrait. "I really don't think I can take many more surprises like this." She shook her head and a dizzy wave hit her, sending her once more to the land of unconsciousness.

After fainting again, Hailey was carried back to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey demanded she not move until she was completely rested, going so far as to threaten to bind the girl to her bed. Hailey grumbled in protest but in the end agreed to stay in the bed. Madame Pomfrey, satisfied for the moment, left her sitting there with the group once more.

Once again she told her story of what happened while she was dead and everyone else listened in silence as she explained what had happened in the headmaster's office.

Kingsley and McGonnagall both looked shocked as they listened before sitting in silence as they absorbed everything they had just heard. Ron was the first to break the silence.

"Will we really have to come back and finish our schooling?" He asked.

McGonnagall gave a slight jerk before smiling tightly. "But of course. This last year has hardly been the learning experience students needed nor deserved. With those horrible Carrows teaching and what now, all of the students will simply have to come back and repeat this last year."

"Are you joking?" Draco asked, his mouth gaping in astonishment,

"I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, that I do not joke." McGonnagall said primly.

"I would have to agree with Minerva about the students returning," Kingsley said as he took in all of their shocked faces. "Though I do believe we should try and make it sound more appealing. We can ask all of the students to come back for another year of schooling to make up for the lack of teaching this last year."

McGonnagall nodded in agreement. "We can, temporarily, make an eighth year slot that will hold until our current first years have gone."

Beside her, Ron gave a disgusted sigh before looking at Hermoine and Hailey, "Think we could go on another big, life-saving mission?" He asked imploringly. "Just one more?"

"Ron!" Hermoine gave him a reproachful look.

Hailey laughed at the two before she noticed the troubled look that came across McGonnagall's face. "Professor, what's the matter?"

She shook her head. "With everything going on I did not realize… There's quite a number of staff positions that need to be filed and we still need to find a way to get the rest of the students home. There is no use in finishing the school year at this point."

Mr. Weasley stood up from his place by Mrs. Weasley and took off his hat, absently rubbing his bald patch. "What spots are vacant, Minerva?" he asked.

"Madame Hooch resigned after Dumbledore's death so we shall need a new flying teacher who can hopefully double as Quidditch referee. There will also have to be a new Transfigurations teacher, not to mention Defense Against the Dark Arts and the Muggle Studies. There is also the task of finding someone to handle the Care of Magical Creatures."

Kingsley looked a bit worried by the prospect of filling so many roles but he nodded none the less. "We will figure something out before the start of term."

Hermoine blushed as she slowly raised her hand. "Well, um… Professor, I'm not entirely sure, but Viktor Krum was talking about wanting to pull out of Quidditch for good and… well, umm… wanting to come and teach at Hogwarts."

"Really?" McGonnagall blinked in surprise.

Hermoine nodded enthusiastically. "He always said that he liked it better here. And he really would make a great flying teacher and Quidditch referee, what with his Quidditch training and all."

Beside her, Ron's ears started turning pink. Before he could say anything and make a huge blunder, Ginny spoke up. "Yes, and Hailey could always take over Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly and patted her daughter's head. "That's a very nice idea, but Hailey is still too young."

"Maybe, but she already knows loads about the stuff," Ginny declared. "She's the one who taught everyone in Dumbledore's Army- she's superb at it to begin with and she is the one who defeated Voldemort on several occasions."

"She's right," Bill commented from beside Fleur. "But so is mum. Hailey is a bit young, besides she still has another year of school to go."

"Not to mention she will soon have the care of her godson." Minerva pointed out.

Ron shot McGonnagall a disbelieving look. "But that won't be for a few more years, right? He still has his grandmother."

McGonnagall did not speak which gave Hailey a bad feeling. Bill saw this and tried to shift the subject back to the teaching position. "I think I would like to give it a shot if Professor McGonnagall would let me."

Fleur gave a delighted clap and gave him a hug. "Such a good man, my 'usband."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave him looks of approval and smiled proudly, which only got wider when Charlie, who had arrived early that morning, stepped forward. "If that's the case then I guess I'd like a go at the Care of Magical Creatures. I think I could handle just about anything after taking care of dragons for so long. I could probably even get a few young dragons for the seventh and eighth years."

"That is a very generous offer, Mr. Weasley, but… dragons… I'm not sure-" McGonnagall began.

"Hold on, why isn't Hagrid going to be in charge of the class?" Hailey cut it.

McGonnagall looked at her and informed her, "Hagrid informed me this morning that he would prefer to retain his position as Care taker, he believes that he is much better suited for the caring of creatures than the teaching of them."

Hailey shared a look with all of her friends, even Draco, and they each gave smiles of relief and understanding. Hagrid was a good person, okay half-giant, but as a teacher at times his class could be scary. What was cute and interesting to him was scary and dangerous to them.

"Since everyone else is volunteering, I guess I will too." Oliver smiled from his spot by the Weasleys. "I have a wee bit talent when it comes to Transfiguration, achieved an Outstanding at my O.W.L and N.E.W.T exams."

Tears began filling McGonnagall's eyes and she bestowed each of them with looks of supreme gratitude. Kingsley smiled at the exchange and already was beginning to relax some. "Well, that about settles it then. The only thing to do is write Krum asking if he wants the position and find someone for the position of Muggle Studies. All that leaves for us to do now is find a way for all of the students to get home. Those that were evacuated before the battle five days ago have started arriving back again or otherwise sent an owl."

McGonnagall wiped her eyes with a quick swipe of her hands. "Right you are, Minister." Everyone smiled at the title. "Once all of the students are accounted for we shall start preparing them for departure. We will have to send for the Hogwarts Express and owls will have to be sent-"

"Wait."

Everyone turned to look at Hailey at her outburst. She drew in a deep breath, confusion making her thoughts slow in coming. "What about the people we lost? The ones who died in the battle?"

"Owls have already been sent out for their families to come and claim their bodies." Said McGonnagall.

"That's not right," Hailey looked around at everyone present. Kingsley and McGonnagall stood to one side of her with Ron, Hermoine, Oliver, and Draco, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat on the other side of her with Ginny, George, Bill, Fleur, Percy, and Charlie. All of them gave her questioning looks. "They died trying to defend Hogwarts and everything it stands for. They died fighting Riddle and his supporters. They deserve more than to be sent home quietly; everyone needs to know what they did- need to know that they died as heroes protecting everyone else."

McGonnagall had silent tears streaming down her face though she acted as if nothing was going on as she gave a formal nod. "Miss Potter is correct. And it seems only right that the service be held here where the final battle took place." She looked to Kingsley for agreement which he readily gave.

"It is the right thing to do," He turned thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "We can have it here in two weeks. That should be plenty of time for word to get around and for everyone who wants to come to get here. Anyone will be welcome which means there will be a lot. There will be wizards and witches here, as well as the house-elves and centaurs, along with a few goblins. Even a select few number of muggles who already know about the wizarding world will want to be in attendance."

Percy was nodding in agreement as if making an invisible list. "There would be ministry officials, prior students, the aurors, and obviously the current students and then their families so that they can all leave together once the service is over. Word would have to be sent out to everyone to ensure they do not get the wrong impression. It would also be a great idea to send someone to Beauxbutton and Durmstrang to personally invite the students there that way they know that we still care about being united even after the Dark Lord is gone."

Kingsley gave him an assessing look before giving a nod of approval. "You never gave an official resignation, did you?" He asked and Percy shook his head. "Very good. You can come with me and help set everything up while I work on a few other projects."

Percy jumped to his feet in excitement. "Really?"

"If I'm not mistaken I still need a secretary." Kingsley smiled.

George began making kissing noises as Percy ran forward, tripping over his own feet. "I'd be honored, Minister, sir." Kingsley chuckled at his enthusiasm and together, he, Percy, and McGonnagall turned to leave.

Once again, Hailey stopped them. "What will happen to the bodies of Professor Snape and Riddle?"

McGonnagall and Kingsley both stopped, though it was McGonnagall who answered. "Voldemort will most likely be buried in his family plot. As for Severus, we are still trying to figure that out."

"NO!" In her shock, Hailey's voice came out louder than what she had intended, but she did not care. "Burn the body."

"What? Miss Potter, surely—" McGonnagall began.

"I don't want there to be any chance of him coming back. Ever." Hailey interrupted.

"Hailey," Hermoine said, but she continued on.

"No, I don't care. They were able to bring Voldemort back with only four things. Graveyard dirt, bone of the father, the flesh of a willing servant, and blood of an enemy. That is all it took and I do not want it to happen again. Burn Riddle's body and spread his ashes in the wind."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged looks with McGonnagall and Kingsley before all of them nodded in agreement.

Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she began. "Now, about Snape."

McGonnagall let out a soft sigh. "We are still looking into that. Severus has no living relatives to speak of and he stated quite plainly that he never wanted to be buried with his family."

Hailey nodded before she turned to look out of the window. The sun was still shining, casting light over Hogwarts. From where she sat, Hailey could see the lake and, beyond it, Dumbledore's resting place which was still broken open. "I think he should be placed by Dumbledore."

There were several gasps and Hailey turned to see them staring at her. "Dumbledore trusted him without a doubt and above all others. The two of them are the reason we were even able to win. Before he died, Snape gave me his memories so I could understand everything. He sacrificed his reputation and let people believe he murdered Dumbledore because he was asked to; he did _everything_ Dumbledore asked of him and let us believe he was an enemy all the way till the end so that we could win this war. He was Dumbledore's man into the end. If you really look at it, we are the only family he ever had and this is the only true home he ever knew. He deserves to be here just as much as Dumbledore."

When no one bothered to answer, Hailey turned back towards the window. She was so intent on staring out of it that she was surprised to suddenly find herself enclosed in a hug. Turning, she was expecting to find Mrs. Weasley and instead found Professor McGonnagall. A warm sensation filled her and tears began to burn her eyes as she hugged the woman back. Tears slowly began streaming down her face and, before she knew it, she was openly crying. Once again, everything came back to her. All of the lives that were lost and destroyed, the moment when she realized that she would have to die, the pain of losing so many loved ones. It all came crashing down on her. It was as if a floodgate had been opened. Before long, everyone was crying and holding on to each other. Draco had a hand on Hailey's shoulder and she placed a grateful hand over his. Oliver was rubbing Ginny's back in a soothing motion and they were all huddled together, expressing their grief as one.

Hailey was not sure how much time passed with them like this; it could have been a matter of moments or hours later when a polite cough interrupted them. Slowly they pulled apart and everyone covertly wiped their eyes, Percy going on about having something in his eye which made a few give hiccups of laughter.

Turning to face where the noise had come from, Hailey met the gaze of a smiling Kingsley and Hestia Jones who immediately ran forward to give her a quick hug. Hailey gave a small laugh as the witch pulled back. "It's nice to see you again, too," she said. "How are the Dursley's doing? Have they driven you mad yet?"

Hestia smiled. "You can ask them for yourself. We brought them here yesterday but you were sleeping so we put them up in Hogsmeade."

"They're here? Now?" Hailey squeaked, looking to Ron and Hermoine. "Did you know?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably and Hermoine looked guilty. "They got in yesterday after you fainted," said Hermoine. "They were quite jumpy and kept complaining about why they had to be here, which upset several people…"

"Yea, George and Bill tried attacking your uncle and Professor McGonnagall turned your aunt into a gerbil. Ginny even tried using her bat-boggey hex." Ron pointed out, making the people in question blush. "I even used _langlok _on your uncle until Hermoine got me."

Hermoine nodded sagely. "It wouldn't have done us any good to keep being mean." She turned back to Hailey. "In the end we took them to Hogsmeade and got them a room where Ron and I kind of told them everything."

Hailey got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "What do you mean by _everything_?"

"We mean everything that has happened since we started school here up until what happened in the headmaster's office yesterday. They weren't allowed to leave their room and we had nothing better to do." Ron said, still red in the face. "Besides, they were really making everyone mad with the way they were talking. Hearing you go on the other day made us realize how much you've gone through and we just thought if we told them everything that they would change their tune."

Hailey snorted. "I doubt that did much of anything other than convince them how they are better off rid of me." She said in derision.

"I… I liked hearing about it…"

Everyone turned to see who had spoken and Hailey was once again shocked as she saw her cousin standing in the entrance to the hospital wing. After a few moments she realized that he was unsure of his welcome so quickly gave him a welcoming smile. "Hey, Big D."

This caused Dudley to smile and he began crossing to her bed. "Hey, Ha- Hailey."

Hailey smiled at his almost slip and his mild discomfort. "Don't worry, it's pretty weird to me too and I'm have some problems accepting it. I spent the first almost eighteen years of my life as a boy, and now suddenly I find myself a girl."

Dudley laughed at this and he seemed to relax. A deep look of concentration crossed his face before he reached out and gave her a quick one-armed hug. "I'm really glad you made it out okay. Even if you are a girl now."

Around them everyone laughed until Madame Pomfrey came running out of her office. "I have had enough of this. I've put up with large numbers of visitors, the secret meetings, and the crying spouts, but this is enough." She railed on. "Miss Potter, you are free to go whenever you like. Preferably now." She said the last part with a hopeful glare and Hailey quickly jumped up, Hagrid's pouch around her neck, and walked out of the room with Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, Draco, and Dudley alongside her while everyone else trailed behind, their laughter evident.


	4. Adjustments

**Chapter 4: Adjustments**

To say she needed to adjust was an understatement. To Hailey everything was new and frustrating. The clothes that were once baggy and barely fit were now humongous and fell off her as soon as she pulled them on. Seeing this, Hermoine had burst into a fit of giggles. Once she was able to control herself, she lent a pair of clothes to her friend saying that they would do until they went shopping.

Hailey growled in frustration but accepted it. Fleur had sent several dresses that Hailey refused to wear, so she had to accept the clothes Hermoine provided. Even though she had changed into a girl and slimmed out even more, she retained her own height which was actually average when compared to other girls. As a result, while Hermoine's jeans fit her perfectly, albeit a bit tight, the shirts were a tad short, stopping an inch above the jeans.

Hermoine and Ginny both giggled when she complained that she felt exposed. They took great delight in giving her the basics of being a girl. They informed her that, being a girl now, she could no longer wear boy underwear or sit like a boy, and thus introduced her to the tortures of girl undergarments and the horrors of makeup, as well as the world of girls and how they worked in contrast to the world of boys. By the time dinner came around several hours later, Hailey was feeling nauseous and was even more uncomfortable.

"Relax Hailey," Ginny laughed. "You look fine. Now come on, we're going to miss dinner."

Hailey grunted but followed them, making a quick stop to try and pull on one of her robes since her trunk of school supplies had arrived that morning. Hermoine stopped her from pulling on the robe and quickly threw it back in to the trunk before leading the way out of the Room of Requirements which they had found did indeed still work despite the Fiend Fire. Together, they quickly made their way to the Great Hall where they joined the Weasleys and Wood at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Hailey," said Neville as he sat down beside them. "Blimey, you really are hot," he blushed.

Red burned high on her cheeks as well and she glared down at a laughing George. "This is not funny."

"Actually," piped up Ginny. "It is. Everyone has already heard about how hot you are. They've already started betting on who you end up with. Bets are you end up snogging Ron but date Neville." Ginny stated matter of factly. "I told them it would never happen because Ron is taken by Hermione, finally, and you have someone else in mind for both items in question anyway."

"Like who?" Hailey demanded, her face burning hot.

"Like I'm really going to tell you?" The ginger snorted derisively. "That'd just ruin it."

Hailey gave a sigh of disgust at the girl's sense of humor. "I seriously don't remember what I ever saw in you."

"Me either." Ginny grinned at her, not taking offense.

When they first came in everyone had been polite enough not to stare, but now as she continued to sit, she felt several eyes upon her. She ignored them as she loaded her plate up and looked up and down the table. All of the Weasleys were present, as well as Hermoine and Oliver, but she still got the feeling that someone was missing. After leaving the hospital wing, they had all walked around the lake before Dudley decided to head back to Hogsmeade, saying he would not see them until the service two weeks later. This was no great loss in her mind, however someone else was still missing.

"Where is Malfoy?" She asked softly, realizing th blond was not present.

Without looking up from his plate, Ron pointed across the Hall to the Slytherin table. Even though the table was full, the three Malfoys seemed to remain apart from the others. A pang went through her at the sight and she turned to look at Hermoine who easily read her thoughts.

"None of the Slytherins will go near them. They even made it a point to go all the way around the Hall rather then walk by them. It's a bit sad really," She explained.

"Yea," Ron agreed. "Malfoy may have been a terrible bloke, but that is quite pathetic."

"What do you mean, 'may have been'? I thought you couldn't stand him?" Asked Hailey.

Ron swallowed a mouthful of food. "Well used to, I couldn't. But while you were in the hospital wing he hung around and we all kind of, I hate to admit it, but we all kind of bonded."

"He still has his moments though," George cut in. "But it's mainly when his stick of a father is around."

Hailey smiled at him before she turned to look at Draco again.

Bill followed her gaze and grinned before casting an eye up to the enchanted ceiling which showed a beautiful sunset. "How about we all go eat by the lake? It would be a shame to let this glorious day go to waste."

Everyone readily agreed, loading up plates, three in Ron's and Bill's cases, and got up to leave. Draco noticed their move immediately and, catching his eye, Hailey signaled for him to join them. She did not wait for him, choosing to head out to the lake and sitting underneath the very same tree that the Marauders often did. It was only a few minutes more before Draco emerged from the castle, dinner plate in hand, with his parents trailing behind him.

Conversation was stilted at first as everyone tried to accept the Malfoys and there were several silent glances exchanged as they each tried to come up with something to say.

Fleur shifted her eyes around their small circle before she said the only thing she could think of that would ease the tension.

"I am with child," The French woman blurted and the atmosphere immediately changed as everyone jerked around to stare at her.

"Oh my.." Mrs. Weasley wheezed. "That's… That's terrific dear."

"That's wonderful news!" Boomed Mr. Weasley. "Hear that Molly, we're going to be grandparents."

Mrs. Weasley grinned ecstatically and enveloped Fleur in a hug as the news finally registered.

George laughed loudly beside Hailey and clapped a shocked Bill on the shoulder. "Hear that, you're going to be a father."

Bill still looked shock and everyone laughed at the stunned expression until Charlie pushed him over, finally knocking sense into him. He grinned widely and whooped as he sprang to his feet, grabbing Fleur up and swinging her around. Hailey laughed at their exuberance as they twirled around at the lakes edge, only coming to a stop when they tripped at the water's edge and fell in to the lake.

Fleur came up laughing and Bill continued to grin as he helped her to dry land and back to her seat. Mrs. Malfoy looked uncomfortable for a moment, as if unsure if she would be welcomed into what was obviously a family matter. After a seconds pause, she smiled at the couple. "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"I 'ad not told Bill yet, and this was not planned, so we 'ave not had za chance to discuss names yet," Fleur said. "Though if it is a girl, I wish to call her Victoire…" And soon all of the adults were caught up in the discussion of babies and child rearing.

Ron cast them all a disgusted look. "I don't see what the big deal is with babies. They're just noisy little monsters who don't do anything but yell, eat, and mess in their nappies. I don't think they ever sleep."

Hermoine gave him a dirty look and Hailey simply shrugged her shoulders before reaching into the pouch around her neck. "No clue, mate." She rummaged around in the pouch trying to find something. She had just found the Snitch Dumbledore gave her when Hermoine grinned her 'I know something you don't know' grin. "You'll be finding out before long, Hailey."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

Hermoine rolled her eyes. "Part of being a godparent means that if the parents die and no close living relative can take care of the child, then it goes to the godmother/godfather. It's either that or an orphanage."

Ginny gave a smile reminiscent of Fred and George at their worst. "Teddy."

"Exactly." Hermoine smiled as she leaned forward. Everyone leaned in closer to her, their voices dropping down so that the adults would not overhear them. "Mrs. Weasley has already talked to Mrs. Tonks who said that she's getting too old to be taking care of a baby on her own full-time, especially since she just lost her husband and their only daughter, not to mention her son-in-law who was like an actual son."

"So what's going to happen to little Teddy?" Asked Ron.

"McGonnagall and your mum were talking about it this morning. Your mum offered to take care of him but McGonnagall said that would not be necessary and wouldn't do, that Hailey had matured enough these last few months to be able to care for him herself."

"What?" Cried Ron. "Is she mental?"

Charlie looked over at them and they apologized as Ron dropped his voice. "Is McGonnagall mental?" He asked again. "How is Hailey supposed to take care of a baby? She has classes, homework, Quidditch, and this is seventh year, basically, which means N.E.W.T's. And where would he sleep? There aren't any cradles here or anything meant for a baby."

Hermoine nodded at his points. "I don't know. Your mum made the same points and said that Hailey needed the chance to get used to being a girl and to have a chance at being a regular teenager, but McGonnagall says that she believes in Hailey. I didn't get to hear her explanation because _someone_," she gave Ron a pointed look. "Was snoring too loud. But whatever she said was enough to convince Mrs. Weasley." All of them looked over at Mrs. Weasley who was beaming at Fleur.

Hailey sighed and released the Snitch. "I'm doomed to failure. Couldn't I just have one year where I'm not worrying about someone who's out to kill me, or worrying about screwing up someone else's life?" She said as she reached out to catch the Snitch before releasing it again. She reached out to catch it once more but Draco beat her to it.

"You've escaped death countless times and have lived on to defeat the Dark Lord, and now you are scared about raising a kid?" He asked in disbelief. "Where could raising a kid possibly be worse than battling the Dark Lord?"

"Before, I thought asking someone out was up there with facing a dragon, and they were both beneath battling Riddle." Hailey said, grabbing the Snitch as soon as Draco released it. "Well, I've faced a dragon, managed to ask someone out, and battled both Riddle and his Death Eaters. At this point, trying to raise a kid definitely scares me more than all of the others combined." She stated point blank.

Ron looked at her like she was nuts while Ginny burst into laughter. "What could possibly be scary about this?" She asked through her laughter.

Hailey sighed, letting the Snitch go only to watch as Hermoine snatched it out of the air. "All right, all right." She said upon seeing Hermoine's look of determination. "It's just…well, I… I'm not sure how to do it. I- I'm afraid of messing up." She admitted. "I've never really seen a functional family. My aunt and uncle simply tolerated me and treated me with mild neglect, while spoiling Dudley beyond measure. The closest I've seen to a normal family is with the Weasley's and things were never really normal what with everything going on with Riddle and what not."

Ron, George, and Ginny all nodded. "Things were never normal to begin with," George said dryly and Ginny giggled.

Oliver smiled at her. "Just do whatever you think is best." He said. "My parents admitted that they had no idea what they were doing half of the time they were raising me. It's just a matter of instinct really."

Hermoine let the Snitch go and Hailey quickly made to grab it, but Ginny beat her to it. Laughing, she let it go and Oliver made a snatch for it only to have Draco catch it.

Hailey laughed as Oliver scowled at the Slytherin before breaking into a smile. Time passed swiftly and the adults soon left them to play their game as they went to get rooms in Hogsmeade. Hailey laughed once more as she snatched the Snitch from Draco and Ginny who laughed in turn. It was not until Ron made a mention of food that they realized how late it had gotten.

"I can't wait until I can crawl into my bed and go to sleep." Hailey muttered, glad to be out of the hospital wing.

Across from her, Hermoine and Ginny exchanged a look that made her sigh. "What now?"

"Hailey," Hermoine started attentively. "You can't stay in your old room."

"And why not?" Demanded Ron.

"Because, you git," Ginny said, "She's a girl."

"Oh."

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Hailey asked in exasperation, more than tired of all of the changes going on.

Hermoine frowned. "McGonnagall never said.

"I would say you could stay in one of the empty beds in the girls' dorm," Ginny said, "but students are still getting back and I doubt any of them would like finding someone else in their bed." Hermoine nodded in reluctant agreement.

George sat between her and Oliver, a grin lighting his face. "You could do what we used to do."

Oliver smiled and exclaimed, "The camp outs."

Hermoine looked at each of them with a doubting look. "What are you talking about?"

George smiled as he explained. "During out first year, Fred and I were mainly friends with some of the older students, got along with them a sight better than our roommates at the time. But we weren't really allowed to move to the rooms of another year so me, Fred, Lee, and Wood came up with the idea of camping out in the common room."

Oliver smiled. "Used to drive the prefects and head boy and girl crazy because nowhere in the rules did it say we weren't allowed to do it."

"And Fred and I looked through that book very carefully. Had it fully memorized by Halloween." George proclaimed. "We even invited some of the girls to join us, mainly the ones who were on the Quidditch team."

"Bloody brilliant," Ron grinned. "How come you never had any while we were here?"

"Because George and Angelina were caught sharing a sleeping bag." Oliver laughed.

George's ears turned a bright red. "Nothing happened though… At least, not until fifth year." He waggled his eyebrows at them and all of the boys laughed while Hailey and Ginny giggled and Hermoine tried to fight back a smile.

"You are a pig," she grinned at him.

"Thank you," he replied.

Everyone laughed again as they stood up and began walking back to the castle. It was well past curfew as the group entered the castle. Ginny broke off from them and headed towards the kitchen with Oliver behind her. Hailey smiled to herself as the rest of them kept walking. They were almost to the stairway when Draco dropped back and turned towards the dungeons. Hailed slowed down and watched as he grudgingly started walking towards the door. Turning, she looked at the others. Hermoine gave Ron a beseeching look and he crumbled before jerkily nodding his head, meanwhile George just shrugged his shoulders, not caring one way or another.

"Malfoy," she called out softly. "Where are you going?"

"Where does it look like, Potter?" He called back.

"Why don't you join us, Draco?" George asked cheerily.

Draco looked at her a moment then looked behind her to Ron, Hermoine, and George before he tilted a shoulder. "Come on then," Hailey called out as they all turned and continued up the stairway together. It was not long at all before they arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait.

She looked down at all of them before smiling. "You kids are quite the little heroes," she crowed. "But I suppose you just want to go to bed now?"

Hailey nodded her head and the portrait swung open to reveal the entrance. Since the battle, the Common Rooms no longer required passwords though only students recognized as belonging to the house were welcomed in. Once inside, they all sighed in relief. The fire was still going, casting light around to show several comfortable armchairs spread throughout the room. Hermoine looked around and she seemed to relax as she took in the familiar surroundings. "Well, I guess we better get started on turning this into a camp ground." She sighed. "We'll need to get the blankets from our beds to pad the floor a bit before we lay out the sleeping bags. George, you want to get Harry's bed, me and Ron can get out our and I'll get Ginny's as well, while Hailey and Draco clear some floor space."

They all nodded and set out to their tasks. Hailey and Draco pulled out their wands and silently began moving the chairs and tables against the walls and clearing a large enough space in front of the fire. As they were working, Draco watched her carefully. "What's it like?"

"What do you mean?" She asked as she moved a table.

"What's it like, being a girl all of a sudden?"

Hailey paused in her work to consider the question. Draco had just opened his mouth to tell her not to worry about answering when she did. "It's kind of strange actually. At first I was freaked out. But since this morning, I'm starting to accept it and it's actually kind of easy to forget I was ever a boy. All of my memories have…shifted, I guess. They're changing a bit to form the thoughts and memories of a girl now. I can remember what happened clearly, but at the same time I can see and experience it from a girl's point of view. It's really kind of weird when I go to think of something and find that it has altered." Hailey smiled as she moved the last chair.

"Really? Like what?" He asked curiously.

"Take for instance, when-"

Hailey cut off as the portal opened, but relaxed when Ginny and Oliver climbed through.

"Hey, mates. Ready to camp out?" Oliver asked, ignoring the fact that a Slytherin was in the Gryffindor tower. Ginny simply cast them a curious look before unloading her prizes onto a nearby table. At the same moment, Ron, George, and Hermoine came back, laden down with blankets which they promptly spread out across the floor before Hermoine summoned seven purple sleeping bags. Everyone ate a quick midnight meal and there was the occasional joke between them before everyone laid down to sleep. They formed a kind of circle once they settled in. Hermoine and Ginny were beside each other with Oliver and Ron on either side of them, while Hailey slept between Draco and George.


	5. Muggle Games

**AN:** I am so sorry for that whole wrong chapter moment, it was a fail. I was a bit tipsy when uploading, so i double loaded ch4 and just labeled the second copy as ch5. But it has been fixed and now, here is the ACTUAL ch5. I do appreciate the comments, and am forever grateful because i doubt i would have noticed the error. As for George and the whole 'not being sad', I know its a bit weird and none of them really seem to be showing their grief but it is for a reason that will be showing up in later chapters, so please bear with me. Once more, I own nothing but Hailey's spirit and the plot, though I wish it were otherwise. Now, on with the story. Read, enjoy, and plz review. Thnx, Kaitera and courtesy of my beta Winter.

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**Chapter 5: Muggle Games**

The next morning everyone was surprised to find them sleeping in the common room and a few were upset by Draco being there, but the protests quickly died down when faced with Oliver, George and, surprisingly, Neville. After the initial reaction, everyone simply exclaimed over Oliver becoming a teacher and they all pointedly ignored the fact that Hailey was no longer Harry. It was something that everyone knew but did not mention and she was supremely grateful for it.

Over the following two weeks things settled into a routine. They all did their own thing in the mornings, Ginny and Hermoine taught Hailey how to be a girl and, with the Weasley boys, took her on small shopping excursions while Draco tried to become accepted by the Slytherins and failed. In the afternoon they would regroup and all go and eat supper and dinner by the lake before entertaining themselves with games of either Wizarding Chess, rounds of Catch the Snitch, or hold mini-Quidditch Scrimmages. Once it got late, they would then adjourn to the Gryffindor common room where they would continue their games before falling asleep in their sleeping bags. The other Gryffindor students soon came to tolerate Draco's presence and when asked by other students, claimed to not have seen him.

Before long it was the day before the memorial services and everyone was quite suppressed from breakfast on through supper and dinner. Even the weather was a reflection of their somberness as it was raining, causing everyone to stay shut up inside. Hailey felt a pang of sadness as she watched Draco eating by himself again, all of their parents having started staying and eating in Hogsmeade more lately.

Looking around, she made sure no one was looking before she shot a charm at the gloomy Draco and concentrated on what she wanted it to do. As she watched, his hair began retracting, growing backwards until it stood up in short spikes before turning a bright blond-gold color with tips that changed to a bright crimson red. Beside her, Oliver choked on a bite of his biscuit, his eyes trained on Draco. George beat his friend's back and dislodged the stuck bit of food before looking to see what had caused him to choke, promptly bursting out in loud laughter. Hailey had to smother her own chuckles as Draco reached up to pat his head in bewilderment before grabbing a goblet to study his reflection. His gaze locked straight with hers.

Hailey opened her eyes wide and looked at him innocently as she pointed towards George and Oliver who were both pointing back at her.

"Traitors," she muttered to the side and the boys only laughed harder while Draco smirked.

Looking down, Hailey grabbed a handful of her hair. The little prat had actually turned her hair a silver-white with, she noticed when the strands shifted, green highlights. Hailey smiled to herself and raised her wand to change it back. She hesitated a moment as she rubbed the strands between her fingers before changing it back to black, though she left the green highlights. Looking up she met Draco's gaze and cocked a silent eyebrow. He smirked in return before bowing his head in defeat and finished eating his meal, leaving his hair as it was.

Oliver and George were starting to calm down and Hailey caught Ginny's grin as she went back to eating her dinner. They all finished eating their food quickly and the Gryffindors left the hall together. They were crossing to the stairs when Pansy Parkinson came down them. A sneer crossed her face as she drew even with them.

"Nice hair, Potter." She said snidely and the two girls with her giggled.

"Thanks," Hailey said breezily. "Wish I cold say the same to you."

With that she continued past the girls, smiling kindly as she walked past them. Once on the stairs and out of hearing range, they all broke out with laughter.

"That was priceless, Hailey." Ron snorted out.

They continued on their way and Draco caught up with them just as they were climbing through the portal. He gave them each a brief nod as he made his way over to claim a chair. Even though dinner was going, many people were already in the common room so there were very few chairs left. George and Ron quickly grabbed two of the three chairs left while Oliver offered the last to Ginny before sitting by her legs. Hermoine gave a sigh of disgust which quickly turned into a squeal of surprise as Ron pulled her onto his lap.

George gave Hailey a charming smile. "Want to sit on my lap?" He asked mischievously.

"I don't think so," She laughed before sitting by Draco's chair. "The only time you smile like that is when you're up to no good."

"Too true," he chuckled.

They all fell into a companionable silence and Hailey smiled as she looked around at her friends. George was busy scheming something, he had his hands steepled with the fingertips touching while he gazed into the fire. She shivered at the thought of what it could be. Ron and Hermoine were busy snogging each other, and Ginny was curled up in her chair, head bent forward as she discussed something with Oliver. Hailey smiled as she turned her gaze to the window. Draco had begun stroking her hair absentmindedly as he looked into space with a thoughtful look, so she rested her head against his knee and continued to watch as the rain pelted against the window and danced down the glass surface.

It seemed like only moments later when someone clapped their hands together rather loudly, causing everyone to jump. Hailey jerked up straight and looked around in alarm. It did not take long at all to realize George was the culprit, seeing as to how they were the only ones left in the common room and he was grinning widely while rubbing his hands together.

"So," He beamed. "What shall we do tonight?"

"Whatever we were doing before seemed fine," Hailey said on a yawn as she stretched.

"Yea, I like what we were doing before," Ron grinned at Hermoine who playfully bopped him on his arm.

George gave a sigh of disgust. "Come on, this is the last time we'll all see each other for a while now."

Hailey looked around at everyone as the truth of what he was saying sank in. "He's right," Ginny sighed. "And you obviously have something in mind." She continued dryly.

"Well, now that you mention it, there is this muggle game that I heard of and have been wanting to try." George said eagerly.

"Why do I have the feeling that we should all run?" Hermoine mumbled and Hailey could not help but agree. "What game is it you want to try?"

George smiled at her. "The muggles call it _Truth or Dare_."

Hailey groaned out loud. "No way."

"You have to play," George wheedled. "It will be fun, come on."

Everyone else agreed to play, even Hermoine though grudgingly so. In the end Hailey caved and George smiled with glee.

"What fun can you have with a few truths and dares?" Draco asked.

"You can actually have a good bit of fun," Hermoine informed him. "Though it can be quite embarrassing at times, too. Once the game starts you cannot back out of or refuse a truth or dare. The way the game goes is someone will ask you if you want a truth or a dare, you pick, and they get to dare you to do anything or ask you any question and you have to answer truthfully, then you get to pick someone and come up with one for them."

"Exactly." George said gleefully. "Now, let's start. I'll go first and I choose Hermoine. Truth or dare?"

Hermoine gave him a haughty look. "I'll choose dare, there is absolutely no telling what type of questions you would ask."

George looked downcast for a moment before he smiled again. "Fine, you want to play like that, we will. I, George Weasley, dare you, Hermoine Granger, to dress like and impersonate Fleur Weasley for two whole weeks."

Ron gaped at his brother in horror while Hermoine jumped to her feet. "You want me to…to…" She did not finish the sentence and George smiled widely at her. "You're a foul, evil person." Hermoine huffed as she sat back down on a still stunned Ron's lap.

Oliver was holding in his laughter as he watched Hermoine fume. "Look at it this way, Granger, you can always take the frustration out on the next person."

At this Hermoine started to cheer up and Hailey felt bad for whoever the girl chose. Looking around, Hermoine studied every person in turn before her gaze settled on Malfoy, a coy smile sketched on her lips. "Truth or dare, blondie?"

Draco smiled nervously. "Dare."

Hermoine actually smiled now and Hailey was genuinely sorry for him. "I dare you to let Ginny and I help you get ready tomorrow and for you to keep the look we give you for the entire summer."

He sputtered for a few moments and Hailey could not help but laugh at the Slytherin boy. He caught her laughter though and quickly jumped back into the game. "Hailey, truth or dare?"

"Dare, snake breath." She chuckled.

"Good. I dare you to let them dress you up, too," he smirked.

Her laughter died quickly but everyone else's picked up. She really did not want to let Ginny and Hermoine loose on her. In the last two weeks they had only been offering pointers and those alone were enough to make her leery. Now they had unfettered access to her and her wardrobe. She was doomed to die of embarrassment.

"Okay, okay," she capitulated. "Fine, Hermoine and Ginny get to help me dress tomorrow. Now, Ginny."

The girl in question swallowed her laughter with a startled snort. "I'm definitely choosing truth right now."

Hailey's smile fell a little but it stayed all the same as she leaned closer to the younger girl. It was time to get a little bit more even footing. "Who do you have a crush on right now?"

Hermoine gasped but Ginny simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "Oliver Wood."

Oliver's head whipped around and up to look at her as the same time as Ron's and George's mouths dropped open. "He's too old for you, Ginny!" Ron blustered.

Ginny simply shrugged as if to say 'so' and faced her brother head on. "Ron, truth or dare?"

Ron sat up straighter in his chair. "We're not done talking about this crush business," He started but Hermoine elbowed him in the side before facing Ginny.

"He'll go with a dare."

The girl crowed softly. "I dare you to go up to Professor McGonnagall and ask her to go out with you."

All of the boys turned green at the thought and even Hermoine looked a bit queasy. "You can't be serious." Ron gasped but Ginny simply nodded.

"If I have to listen to you try and tell me who I can and can't like, then you have to ask out McGonnagall." She stated.

The game continued on with everyone laughing and glaring in turn but things stayed relatively calm. They were all still laughing at Draco's dare for George and at how Oliver had fielded George's truth question for him when they noticed the fire was beginning to burn low. George stopped glaring at Draco and Oliver and cast a glance to the dying fire. "Looks like it's about time for us to be turning in. Time for a few last rounds, you think?"

The laughter died down as they all nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, Ginny." Oliver turned to look up at the girl and smiled softly. "Truth or dare?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment. "Dare."

"I dare you to…" Oliver paused and his smile widened. "Go out on a date with me.'

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise and Hailey burst into laughter as, once more, Ron and George's mouths gaped open. Hermoine was grinning too and she quickly put a hand over Ron's mouth to keep him quiet. After a few moments Ginny smiled and nodded. Oliver grinned before turning back around and leaning farther against her legs. His eyes met with both Ron and George's. After a slight hesitation, both brothers jerked their heads, though Hailey knew that they would be having a serious discussion with him later.

"Okay, I think this should be the last round," George called. "Make it good, Ginny."

"It will. Hailey," Ginny began. "Truth or dare?"

Hailey felt a shiver of trepidation, but never a chicken said, "Dare."

Ginny smiled widely and Hailey knew she had chosen wrong as the girl leaned forward. "I dare you to snog Malfoy. And just to clarify, I do not mean a kiss or a quick peck. I mean actually full on _snogging_ him," Ginny grinned evilly.

Hailey and Draco were both shocked as she said this. Hermoine burst into a fit of giggles and George laughed loudly, though his laugh was more for their reactions than the dare. Ron started choking as he looked back and forth between Ginny, Hailey, and Draco.

"You can't do that," He finally gasped out. "She's only been a girl for two weeks."

Ginny continued smiling as she shook her head. "I can and just did. Besides, Hailey has been living as a girl for the last two weeks and she admitted to me and Hermoine that she thinks and feels like a girl more and more each day that passes. Maybe kissing a boy will help. Besides, Malfoy is quite cute once you look past the fact that he's a Slytherin and tried to off all of us a number of times."

Hermione fell out of Ron's lap and to the floor as her laughter turned to snorts and giggles. By now Oliver was laughing too and was leaning against Ginny for support. Hailey was not sure what to think. Yea, she may have been living as a boy for the last eighteen years and had only just become a girl, but like she told Draco, all of her memories had been shifting to conform to the thoughts and actions of a girl. So while she had only started living as girl two weeks ago, she felt as if she were a girl her whole life. When she thought about it now, though she would never admit this out loud to the others, she had, in her girl's mind, liked Draco from the start.

Looking up at Draco, she realized that he was very cute. No, scratch that, Draco was hot. Inhaling deeply, and praying that her nerves would not make her chicken out, Hailey moved up to her knees and quickly leaned in towards the boy.

His eyes widened when he saw what she was doing. "What are-"

His words were cut off short as their lips tentatively touched. Draco responded almost immediately as he leaned forward and fully connected their lips. Hailey's eyes drifted shut and she pressed deeper into the kiss, silently opening her mouth to his as she moved so that his legs were on either side of her. Once more Draco did not hesitate as he pulled her closer, his mouth opening under hers and his tongue darting out to trace her teeth before delving into her mouth. Hailey responded by grabbing hold of the back of his neck with one hand, the other going to his shoulder as she pressed herself closer to him. His hands tightened at her waist and the kiss turned hotter, causing her to feel enflamed as they pressed together.

It was several more moments before the two of them finally separated to gasp for air. By now, Hermoine was rolling on the floor with tears of laughter streaming down her face. Ginny was giggling madly while Oliver and George gave wolf whistles and Ron simply clapped in bemusement. Hailey felt her face light up and ducked her head, hiding it against the front of Draco who chuckled at her. From by the boys' stairway there was a strangled sound and everyone sobered up as they turned to see who it was.

A sleepy looking Seamus Finnigan stood at the bottom of the dormitory steps, a look of extreme shock on his face. "I- uh…came… I- uh… I am…" he stuttered to a halt, crimson from the base of his neck up to the edge of his hairline, before turning and stumbling up the steps.

"Seamus, wait," Hailey called out. The boy stopped and turned to face her. "You actually have perfect timing," She said. "George wanted to tell you something."

George looked more like he wanted to strangle her than anything but he repressed the urge and climbed to his feet. He walked over to Seamus with an earnest look on his face as if he were hesitant to speak his thoughts aloud. "It's actually something that I've been wanting to tell you for years now, but I thought it best if I waited until you were a bit older. Seamus Finnigan, from the moment I met you- no, from the moment I laid eyes on you standing in line waiting to be sorted, I've loved you. I have loved you for years and it's just grown stronger with each day that passes and I know that it will continue to do so until the end of time. I just can't wait anymore, I love you so much as it is." George reached forward and grasped Seamus's hand as he knelt on the steps. "Will you do me the honor of accepting my undying love, of joining with me and becoming my paramour in life?"

Hailey fought to suppress a giggle as Seamus looked around bewildered.

"That's nice," He mumbled, "Very nice," Before pulling his hand away and climbing back up the stairs, mumbling something about never eating fire whiskey filled chocolates before bed again.

George turned around and gave them all a deep bow before pointing at Draco. "I am never playing that hideous game with you ever again," He gritted out.

His statement was the last straw for Hailey who fell into Draco, giggling madly. Draco started laughing, the deep rumble of his chest shaking her and causing her to giggle more. Within moments everyone was laughing heartily and they did not stop until long after they had climbed into their sleeping bags.


	6. Teddy Lupin

**Chapter 6: Teddy Lupin**

The laughter of the previous night still hung in the air though it was a mere echo of itself. The service was only a few hours away and the group all passed on eating as they began getting ready for the memorial service. No sooner than they had woken up, Ginny was dragging Hailey up the steps to the girls' dormitories.

Hailey groaned as she followed her friend. "Why don't we wait for Hermoine?"

"Because she's helping the boys get ready." Ginny said over her shoulder. "George needs his hair grown out and Malfoy has to let her dress him."

"Could you just…well, take it easy on me?" She asked nervously.

Ginny laughed and led her into the 'seventh' year dorms. "I will, me and Hermoine already talked and decided what to do for you. You just close your eyes and do what I tell you to and it'll be done before you know it."

Hailey scoffed but, nevertheless, did as told. She sat down on the younger girl's bed, closed her eyes and relaxed, putting on and taking off clothes as instructed before sitting through the makeup application.

"I really doubt all of this is needed," She said as Ginny finished only to move on to her hair. "We're going to a funeral, not a dance. And you still have to get dressed yourself."

Behind her, Ginny just snorted as she continued twisting and pulling the hair in her hands. "You're supposed to dress up a bit for a funeral, too. Everyone has seen you with your hair down these last two weeks, you need to change it a little to show that today is different. Besides, I've been dressing while I've helped you so I'm ready to go."

Hailey quietly conceded the point and waited as Ginny finished fixing her hair. Hours seemingly passed before Ginny finally bounced up from the bed.

"Done," She said and, grabbing hold of Hailey, raced over to a nearby full-length mirror. She looked at Hailey with an expectant look. "So…"

Looking into the mirror, the first time since becoming a girl, Hailey could not help but stare. She could see a faint resemblance to who she used to be, but otherwise she was a whole new person. Her eyes were the exact same almond-shaped mesmerizing green of her mother, but now her face was a bit softer and subtly rounded and her lips, now painted a shade of maroon, were fuller.

"I look like her now," She said in amusement. "Before, people always said that I looked like my father but with my mother's eyes. Now, I look more like my mother but with my father's hair."

Ginny gave a huff of annoyance. "That's all that you noticed?"

"So far…yea. Haven't had a chance to have a full look yet." Hailey smirked as she studied her reflection more. She looked like she was going to a rock concert instead of a funeral. Her eyes were lined darkly with kohl and what she assumed was mascara, and her hair was pulled back into a style she remembered seeing on television. She gently ran her hands over it and turned her head to get a better look. The bottom half was left lay down her back while the top half was twisted up and curled around itself in an intricate design that left the very tips to stick out at odd angles, giving it a wild look with the green streaking through it. Her bangs were angled across her forehead to hide her scar so she quickly changed them so they angled in the other direction, making it so her lightning bolt shaped scar was showing. Looking at her dress next, she saw that it tied at one shoulder and hugged her down to her waist where a green sash rested, before flaring out and stopping low mid-thigh.

"I look…" Hailey tried to think of a word and settled on, "Hot."

"Not quite." Ginny laughed, handing her a wrapped parcel. "I convinced George to get these."

_These_ turned out to be a pair of dragon skin boots which came up to her knees and appeared black until the light hit them, showing a glimmer of dark forest green.

Hailey pulled the boots on and stared in wonder as she studied her reflection. "When did he have the time to get these?" She asked.

Ginny just grinned with the vague response, "He has his ways," Before going over to her trunk.

Pulling out a gold and crimson scarf, she wrapped it around Hailey's throat. "This way you don't look too much like a Slytherin with all of the green," She winked before reaching down to adjust her own dress which was a plain black slip with spaghetti straps that hugged her body down to her knees.

Laughing, the two of them made their way down to the common room where the boys were already waiting. Oliver was busy talking to Ron and George and Draco was staring sulkily into the fire so Hailey quickly took the opportunity to study them. Oliver, George, and Ron were dressed in their dress robes and looking pretty sharp. George's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and now came down to his waist. It was laid in such a way that it hid the hole where his ear used to be and Hailey noticed that George took his role very serious as she saw the fanged earring that dangled from his remaining ear. She grinned as she realized the fang was nearly twice the size of Bill's, and Ginny seemed to grin as she noticed the same thing before moving on to stare at Oliver.

Hailey grinned wider at the girl's open admiration but quickly hid it as she turned to look at Draco. Unlike the other boys who had on black and white robes, his were all black which only seemed to emphasize his look. His hair was back to its original length though today it was not slicked back. Instead, his bangs hung forward, obscuring one eye, while the rest of it lay smoothly being of much shorter length. One of his hands moved up to brush his hair aside but he stopped just short of it and sighed in disgust. Thanks to the dare, he could not alter the look that Hermoine and Ginny had decided on and given him. Hailey did not know which one seemed to offend him the most, the hair being in his face or the fact that his bangs were now a bright electric blue. Probably both, she mused.

From behind them, there came the sound of someone on the stairs so Hailey turned to see who it was. She and Ginny both covered their mouths, not sure whether they should gape or giggle. Hermoine stood on the last step, only it was not really her. She wore a long dark gray dress that hung to the floor and upon her hair, which was now very much straight and pulled back into a low ponytail, was a small gray cap. She looked much like Fleur had when she first arrived for the TriWizard tournament.

"Not. A. Word." She muttered before turning her nose into the air and floating by them.

Hailey quickly subdued the urge to giggle and followed with Ginny beside her. Ron was the first to notice them but he simply stared at Hermoine as they approached.

"Her-Hermoine?" He gulped, but she ignored him as she looped her arm through his and stalked out of the portrait hole.

Ginny smiled sweetly and called out, "Fleur does not stomp her feet, Hermoine."

Oliver laughed and bowed politely before offering her his arm which she eagerly accepted. George, not wanting to be left out, bowed low to Hailey.

"Shall we, madam?" He smiled.

Hailey returned his smile but turned to find Draco, only to watch as he climbed out of the portrait hole.

"He has to meet his parents in the Great Hall," Oliver informed her. "He's already late going."

Beside him, Ginny snickered. "He just wanted to see how Hailey looked before he left."

"Shove off," Hailey said before looping her arm through George's. "Let's, sir," She smiled softly.

George, not the least bit bothered by her delayed acceptance, beamed and steered them towards the portal. Together, the four of them left the castle and headed towards the lake where the ceremony was being held. Memories of another lakeside funeral came to mind and Hailey drew in a shuddering breath. By now she was out of tears, however there was still plenty of pain left to fill her. She endured it all in silence as they crossed the grounds and they were almost to the lake when a voice called out for them to stop.

Professor McGonnagall approached them with hurried steps, a large bag thrown over her shoulder and a bundle clutched in her arms. As she drew even with them, she pulled the bag off and handed it to Hailey who quickly slung it over her shoulder as, moments later, the bundle was shoved into her arms.

"I do not have time to explain at this moment, Miss Potter," McGonnagall began. "The Weasleys are saving all you seats and the Dursleys are with them. I have to find the Minister of Magic who no one seems to have seen in several days."

"Professor-"

"No time, Potter." McGonnagall rushed on. "Mrs. Tonks was here but the poor woman is beside herself with grief and so is going to wait on the train. You four go on and get your seats. Take care, Potter."

Before any more could be said she was gone and they were all staring at the bundle in Hailey's arms.

Ginny looked down at it doubtfully. "You don't think she'd just…"

Oliver nodded as she let the sentence hang. "Oh yes, she would," He said grimly. "Might as well look and get it over with."

Hailey swallowed nervously but let him pull back the top part of the blanket. A baby boy with turquoise blue hair slept peacefully in the blanket and, even as they watched, his hair faded to a clear white before darkening and settling a bright violet.

Teddy Lupin.

"What am I supposed to do?" She worried loudly.

George laughed at her and quickly reached over. "To start with, don't yell, you might startle him and cause him to wake up. Then, you might want to change the way you're holding him. He's not diseased so stop holding him like he is. Babies like being held close, being able to hear your heart. Anytime Ginny got fussy as a little one, all mum had to do was pick her up. Usually worked a mite bit better if she felt bare skin. She really liked being up on mum's shoulder." He said as he loosened the blankets around the sleeping child and moved him so that he lay against Hailey's bare shoulder.

Ginny flushed as George referenced to her time as a child, but Hailey did not pay much attention to any of them as she shifted her hold on Teddy. Pushing him up higher so his face was pressed into her neck, she put one arm under his behind and rubbed his back in a soothing pattern that Oliver reached over to show her when the baby began to fuss a little.

After a few moments Teddy calmed again and Hailey smiled nervously at the others.

George clapped his hands softly. "See, not that hard."

"You're a natural, just like with Quidditch." Oliver smiled before grasping Ginny's arm again. "Now, shall we get going again?"

Hailey nodded absentmindedly as she continued to rub Teddy's back. She was worried about doing something wrong and making a complete blunder, meanwhile Teddy slept peacefully, completely oblivious to everything around him. George walked alongside her and together they slowly came up to the site where the services were going to be held.


	7. The Funeral

**AN: **Okay, so it has been a while and seems like forever, which i guess it has. I've been absorbed in my HUNTERS Series and, I know this may sound retarded, but I actually put book one on hold so I could write book six which is just six chapters away from being done! I'm so excited about it but now that it's coming to a close, I'm finally going to start getting back to Life After Riddle and Haunted. I have made a few minor tweeks to earlier chapters here and here is the newest chapter. Hopefully I will have another new chapter up by next Friday. Enjoy this one and let me know what you think ;)

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**Chapter 7: The Funeral**

They quickly made their way up to their seats once they reached the funeral site. Hailey ignored the stares pointed at her and quietly hugged all of the Weasleys and both of Hermoine's parents before coming to a stop in front of her family. Of the three, Dudley was the only one to stand and she gave him a hug of gratitude.

Aunt Petunia remained in her seat as she looked Hailey over with wide eyes, taking everything in from her black and green hair to her rock star look and the resemblance to her long dead mother. Her aunt's eyes misted over as she looked at Hailey, but she simply gave a nod of acknowledgement before looking forward again, completely ignoring the child in her niece's arms. Uncle Vernon gave her the same perusal, his mustache twitching in disapproval the whole time. He looked like he was going to say something, whether about her new look or the baby, but one look from Bill and Charlie and he jerked his head forward again. From what she had heard from her friends, Hailey knew that her aunt and uncle both quivered whenever they looked at Bill's face and Fleur had made it a point to show that she did not care about how he looked and instead proclaimed him brave and honorable.

In a normal situation, Hailey might have laughed. But today she could not, they were here mourning the loss of so many lives and commemorating them. The fact that her family could not put aside their prejudices for even a short span of time was too much for her. Shifting sideways, she pulled down the blanket covering Teddy even further and, looking them in the face, said, "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, this is Teddy Lupin, my godson. I've been given care of him."

Uncle Vernon gave a bark of laughter. "You, take care of a child? Your not old enough to be taking on that responsibility. Can't even go a few months without trying to get yourself killed, now can you? What do you even know about raising a kid anyway?"

Hailey's eyes narrowed at her uncle. "I know I'll do a mite bit better than you. And the fact that I'm still alive is testament that I know how to defend myself, and I'll make sure that he does too."

"I'd say we did a right fine job raising Dudley. Not too sure about you though. You never did know how to behave." He huffed.

"I behaved just fine, no thanks to you." She seethed. "You spoiled Dudley beyond measure and blithely ignored the fact that he was a bully to anyone and everyone smaller than him. In the meantime, you spent your time with me trying to beat the magic out of me, had me staying in a cupboard under the stairs, telling me my parents were no good weaklings who were killed in a car crash. And when that didn't work, you would lock away my school trunk and tell me to stay in my room and out of site and badmouthed the wizarding world."

"And fat lot of good that did any of us. You almost got Dudley killed by that maniac." Vernon argued back.

"You are such a git," Hailey gritted out. "You are still ignorant of the whole entire thing, even after being informed of everything that has gone on in my life in the last seven years. Yes, Dudley was almost killed, but he wasn't. In case you missed something, I just inherited a child. That means that his parents are dead. They, along with everyone else up there, were all killed. They are dead and won't ever see the sun rise upon a Riddle-free world." Hailey's muscles tightened in anger. "His parents were Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks," She informed them. "They are two of the dead up there. They were killed here three weeks ago during the final battle. You actually met them, but I doubt you even care about the fact that because of this, another child gets to be raised as an orphan."

Aunt Petunia wrinkled her nose as she finally looked at Teddy. "These Nymphadora and Remus people, are you talking about that woman with that awful pink hair and that homeless man you were with a few years ago?" She asked.

Uncle Vernon gave a rough bark of laughter. "The ones with that crazy man? Got what was their coming for, threatening people and all."

Around them several people who had been eavesdropping gasped in outrage. Hailey glared at her aunt and uncle. Dudley shrank back and leaned closer to the Grangers as he saw her face.

"Moody may have been mad at times, but he was not crazy and none of them deserved what they got," She hissed at them. "They fought protecting you and everyone else here."

"They the ruddy hell did not." Uncle Vernon began, his face starting to turn a violet purple as he doubled his fists and pointed a finger at her. "Your lot-"

"_Langlok_!" Hailey was fuming as she held her wand. Everyone quieted at her outburst, but she did not notice as she pointed her wand at her uncle. "You awful man. You will not start that today," She pointed her wand at her aunt, "And neither will you. You will, the both of you, sit here quietly through the ceremony and not say a single derogatory comment, or I will feed you to the giant squid and laugh while I do so."

Her aunt and uncle were both shocked at her threat but neither of them did anything since she still had her wand out and pointing at them. Beside them, Dudley looked a bit worried but Mrs. Granger leaned close to him and murmured something that caused him to relax. Hailey cast her a quick smile before turning back to her aunt and uncle. She gave them each a cursory nod before sweeping past them and sitting down by Ginny who was hiding her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Feed them to the giant squid?" The younger girl laughed softly. "And laugh while doing so?"

Hailey felt a bit bad for threatening her family, but after everything that had happened she did not want them to disparage her or 'her lot'. Time passed relatively slow and people continued to show up. The Beauxbutton and Durmstrang students were already present, spread throughout the gathering, and several centaurs, including Bane and Firenze, stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As she began looking around, she was able to pick out several goblins and house elves, including Kreacher. Towards the back of the gathering she saw Angelina Johnson talking with Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordon before George moved to join them. Farther back she spotted Viktor Krum surrounded by several girls and smiled before continuing through the crowd. While all of the houses still wore their colors, they were mixed together with everyone else. Not so for the Slytherin house. They all stood to her far left huddled together, dressed supremely in their colors of green and silver.

Disgusted, she went to look away but stopped as she spotted Draco. He and his parents stood off by themselves, they were near the knot of Slytherins but once more no one would come near them. Something dark began to bubble up inside of her and Hailey quickly stood before she could change her mind.

"Hailey," Ginny called. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I just inherited a kid, told off and threatened my aunt and uncle, so I figured why not go all out." She looked down at the younger girl and smiled. "I thought I'd go over and offer the Malfoys a seat since everyone else has forgotten to."

Grasping Teddy more securely with one arm, Hailey started towards the cluster of Slytherins. She openly smiled and talked with everyone she passed, elf, goblin, wizard, and muggles alike, and politely introduced them all to the still sleeping Teddy. When she reached the Slytherins however, her smile faded into a frown and she calmly and coldly met each of their gazes before pointedly turning away without saying a word.

Walking past all of them, she came to a stop in front of the Malfoys and smiled warmly at all three of them. "There's a few empty seats by me and the others," she offered, holding her hand out to Draco.

Draco looked back at his parents for a moment and she saw Lucius look at the Weasleys doubtfully while his wife, Narcissa, placed a hand on their son's shoulder and smiled at Hailey.

Hailey returned the smile and reached forward to grasp Draco's hand with her free one before turning towards the Weasleys. They walked together holding hands and Hailey resumed her seat by Ginny while Draco took the remaining seat beside her and his parents sat on the other side of him.

Around them everyone was talking, gossiping about why she had done what she did and what the possible reasoning could have been.

Ginny shook her head. "You were mental as a boy, and now as girl you're even worse."

Hailey just shrugged a shoulder. "Apparently girl me is not as sane or polite as boy me."

Draco snorted as he choked back a laugh and Ginny hid her face again as she began giggling once more.

McGonnagall chose that moment to come up with Shacklebot and everyone fell silent as the procession began. All of the teachers went up and spoke, giving speeches of how brave everyone had been. Teddy came awake during Professor Flitwick's speech, but he kept quiet and continued to lay against Hailey contentedly. McGonnagall was the last teacher to speak and as she finished hers, Shacklebot went up to give the final words. Before he did though he took a moment to look at the dead who were all laid out on wooden alters.

"I only have a few words to say before we bring a close to the ceremony but first I think there is someone else here that we should hear from. Someone who played a key role in bringing down the Dark Lord." He looked out over the crowd before his gaze landed on their group. "Hailey Potter."

Hailey jumped as he called her name and motioned for her to come forward. She was not sure what to do as she stood and moved on stilted legs. When she got to the front of the gathering she looked out over all of the people present and shifted uncomfortably.

"I've… I've never really been one to give speeches," She cleared her throat nervously. "I'm not even sure on what to say most of the time as it is." A few people smiled at her and gave her thumbs up. As she stood there, she was reminded of the speech she gave when they had first formed the DA. Emboldened by the memory, she smiled. "Many people fought and died in the war against the Dark Lord. Some of them I never knew or met, a few I knew pretty well," She glanced at all of the dead laid out in front of her, "And there are others who I wish I knew better than I did." She turned to look at the bodies of Snape and Dumbledore who were situated behind her on each side. "They all fought hard and they did in fact die brave. Some died worse than others, and there are a few who suffered terribly but did not die," She glanced at Neville and his grandmother, "But they were equally as courageous until the end.

"These may not have been the safest or happiest of times, but they all kept at it, making the best of things and fighting to make things right again. I may not have known all of them, a number were gone before I was ever even born, but I will certainly make sure to remember them and everything they did for us. Lots of innocents were killed, and those who fought were courageous. All of them were true members of the Order of the Phoenix, as were most of the dead today. Some of the dead today were not even in the Order, they were junior members of what we called the DA, but they all fought just as hard and just as bravely as anyone else."

Hailey looked over to Mrs. Weasley who nodded in approval, silent tears streaming down her face. "They all deserve to be honored today, the ones here and those from the past, and I will never forget any of them. Neither will Teddy here." She shifted Teddy in her arms. "He lost both of his parents and he will grow up hearing of them, as will my children one day. They were all wonderful beings who sacrificed everything they had and they deserve to be remembered, not only for what they did but also for who they were. They are all true heroes, regardless of their species."

Hailey gave them a wavering smile as tears started to burn her eyes. Everyone clapped and she smiled wider as she hugged Teddy before walking back to the Weasleys and Grangers who opened their arms and enveloped her in hugs. Shacklebot got in front of everyone again and raised his arms for silence.

"Very well said," He smiled, "And exactly what needed to be said. Everyone deserves to be remembered and this has indeed been a long fought war which has finally ended, here at Hogwarts of all places. As such, I see no place better fit than here, behind the bodies of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, to hold this."

Suddenly, a wall of flames rose up, rising five feet into the air and expanding a good twelve feet in length. The wall of flame disappeared as fast as it came, leaving behind a wall of solid white marble.

"This wall," Shacklebot motioned, "Carries the name of every person killed by the Dark Lord and his followers and, at the very end, a list of those who fought in the war and survived."

Hailey gaped in astonishment as she stared at the wall while Kingsley said more before the service concluded. Once again, Dumbledore was encased in white marble, the Elder Wand firmly in his grasp, and the same was done for Snape who lay only feet away from him in a matching black marble. The rest of the bodies were all loaded onto individual boats before being sent across the lake to the waiting train. As the boats were cast off, all of the members of the DA and the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix stepped forward and lined up along the shore, each casting their patronus charms to help guide and guard their fallen comrades. They all waited in silence and remained until the last boat faded from sight before the ceremony was fully concluded.

Once it was over and everyone began breaking away into their groups again, Ron raced up to the wall to find his name and Hailey grinned as he proclaimed that the whole DA was listed. She, however, moved to the list of the dead. Her fingers traced over all of the names, lingering on those she knew, and she chuckled as she came across one in particular.

Dobby the Free House Elf

Shaking her head, she took a step back and read the top of the wall.

In Memory of Those Who Fought Against The Dark Tide,

Who Realized That The Only Thing To Fear Is Fear Itself.

And That The Last Enemy Is Death

"It seems fitting. Do you agree?"

Hailey laughed and wiped away her tears. "Very fitting." She turned and looked at McGonnagal. "So where did Kingsley rush off to this time?"

"Hestia is currently escorting your family home, after Mrs. Granger removed the spell you placed on them," McGonnagall said primly, the hint of a small on her lips. "As for the Minister, it appears that a number of Death Eaters have escaped during transport, including the Carrows, Belihov, and Greyback. The Minister is currently working on seizing the houses of all known Death Eaters and trying to flush the rest out of hiding, so to speak."

Hailey's head jerked to the three Malfoys who were talking in hushed tones.

McGonnagall followed her gaze and nodded solemnly. "While the Minister may have been willing to pardon their involvement due to their change of allegiance, I'm afraid that, since their home was the one to serve as Voldemort's base, the Malfoy's manor and all of their other properties were one of the first to be seized." She shook her head sadly. "Until those escaped have been captured, the Malfoys are not allowed into their home. The Minister spoke with them briefly before he left."

"Where will they be staying then?" Hailey asked apprehensively.

"I do not know. It is likely that they will find lodgings in Hogsmeade for the time being." McGonnagall said in all honesty. "Now, I believe I mentioned that we would need to talk."

"Yes, about Teddy."

"As I mentioned before, the child's grandmother is quite distressed here of late, and… Well, she is up there in age now," McGonnagall started politely.

Hailey already knew where this was going. "You want me to take Teddy in and raise him," She stated.

McGonnagall blinked at her before quickly regaining herself. "Remus and Tonks mentioned you were his god…parent, and you have matured greatly…"

Nodding, Hailey shifted a now sleeping Teddy. "But what about when I'm at school?" She looked at McGonnagall. "There's classes, Quidditch, homework, and we both know I'll land myself in detention at some time or another, and there's still the question of where we'll both sleep."

McGonnagall looked down her spectacles at her. "I assure you that myself and Mrs. Weasley have already thought of and discussed each of those questions in depth. While you are in your classes, either I or Madame Pompfrey will watch the child, however you are responsible for him at all meal times. As for Quidditch, I understand Miss Granger accompanies you to all practices and I am sure she would be glad to watch him. I am also to understand that your homework is done as a group, which should make watching one child be relatively easy. On those nights you all need to use the library, you may leave Teddy with either myself or Madame Pompfrey for a short time period. As for detentions, you will simply not get detention. If you manage to procure one, you will spend the next week taking Teddy to classes and practices yourself.

"As for the sleeping arrangements, that will be discussed later in the summer," She sniffed. "I am still working out the finer points to it and will contact you once everything is settled. Now, are there any further questions or concerns, Miss Potter?"

Hailey shook her head and McGonnagall gave a nod of approval. "Good. So then, Mrs. Tonks will have all of Teddy's things delivered sometime in the next few days once you give her the address of where you are living. Now, you had best hurry and get to the train before you miss it."

"We're not riding the train," Hailey said. "Hermoine, Ron, and I are going to Grimauld Place to help me get situated and Ginny and Oliver will be joining us later."

McGonnagall looked taken aback for a moment. "You will have to go to Hogsmeade to apparate then."

"Professor- I mean, Headmistress," Hailey rushed on as a thought occurred to her. "Is it- is it safe for me to apparate with him? I mean, he's not even eight weeks old yet."

"It will not harm him to do so, though he may be quite fussy afterwards." McGonnagall assured her. "I would, however, advise that you not do so often."

Hailey nodded before she turned away and began to scan the thinning crowd. It did not take her long to spot who she was looking for since they were still huddled together. Her nerves were still high and she breathed deeply before deciding to get everything over with now before she lost her nerve. Looking down at Teddy, she grimaced before walking over to the Malfoys.

"I heard you might need a place to stay for a while," She told them.

Lucias Malfoy looked at her, bewilderment clearly written on his face. "And if we do?"

"I have plenty of room at the place Sirius left me." She shrugged. The Malfoys exchanged looks and Hailey sighed. "It's more than enough room for just me and Teddy and it was in your family to start. There are eight rooms in total and Kreacher is a great cook. The place will need some cleaning and I don't doubt that Hermione and the Weasleys will be in and out, but you are more than welcome. You don't have to accept or anything but if you are interested, come on." She said as she motioned and turned away. "I want to go home and sleep in my own room. So long as you don't count my stay in the hospital wing, it's been nearly a year since I last slept in a real bed."


	8. Coming Home

**A/N: **Okay, it has been a while since my last update but I've been crazy busy. I'm still trying to get the SAU HUNTERS series in order, which is still driving me crazy but the first story, which happens to be book 6, is almost done so hopefully it calms down. I've also been working like crazy to get back into Death Mark which I have finally gotten over the writing block there so it's going smoothly, and it just so happened to help me get over the block I was having here. Anyway, to make a long story short, I came up with the idea of making a journal from Hialey's point of view and it led to this new chapter. It has some length but it's essentially a filler I guess. Anyhow, I hope ya'll enjoy it :)

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**Chapter 8: Coming Home**

Hailey opened her eyes as they arrived at Grimauld Place and breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around her and saw that everyone else had made it as well. Teddy began shifting in her arms and she glanced down worriedly. The baby continued to squirm and she adjusted her hold on him. As soon as she did he settled back down and she could not help but smile at him as his hair changed to a cerulean blue.

"So, which one is it?" Lucius Malfoy asked from behind her, a distinct sneer present as he looked over the apartment complex.

"Number Thirteen," She answered him quietly.

She gave the three Malfoy's a cursory glance, taking in Draco's blank face and then the disgusted look on his father's face and the polite smile on his mother's. "It may not be much, but it is my home now. Unless you would prefer to stay at a motel or something, you had best be polite." She warned them.

"And that includes Kreacher, the house elf." Hermione added.

"He _was_ rude," Hailey corrected while she led them to the spot between Numbers Twelve and Fourteen. "But he's been much nicer since I gave him Regalus's locket and all. He was a great help while we were staying here back before we broke into the Ministry of Magic."

"I'll believe that when I see it for myself," Ginny scoffed.

"You never know," Oliver smiled down at her. "The little bugger could have turned a page."

Hailey nodded in agreement with the older boy and had to smother a grin when she saw Ginny start blushing.

"Is this some type of joke?" Draco stopped and stared at the spot Hailey was leading them to. He glanced between the two visible doors and turned to frown at her. "There is no Number Thirteen here."

"Not yet," She agreed. "Just give it a moment."

The group came to a stop between the two apartments and Hailey did smile this time as she heard the three Malfoys take in surprised breaths.

"This used to be the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, up until Snape took on his role as a Death Eater." She informed them. "Sirius set Dumbledore as the Secret Keeper and when it passed to me, I kept it as it was. Only way to access it is to be told or shown by someone else who knows about it. Unfortunately, we ended up bringing a Death Eater with us when we escaped the Ministry so the Death Eaters have pretty much had free reign since then. With that being the case, this would be the last place for them to look for anyone. They'd expect you three to be on your own and the rest of us would probably be at the Burrow."

"Is that why you chose to stay here?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"No, I chose here because it's my home," Hailey answered. "Would you prefer we had chosen the Burrow or should we just let you go back and pick a hotel?"

Mr. Malfoy closed his mouth and Narcissa gave a small smile as she nodded towards the still closed door. "This will be fine."

Hailey nodded to the older woman and took a deep breath before she opened the door. The only sound as they entered was the squeaking protest of hinges. Dust swirled through the air but none of the protection spells jumped into effect, telling them that the Death Eaters had certainly already been through the house. The sight that greeted them certainly would have attested to that fact. Hailey had to fight back the tears that sprang to her eyes as she took in the hall. The over all sight was pretty off-putting.

There were scorched holes lining the hall, covering the walls, floor, and event he stairway which was splintered and had boards hanging to reveal empty air. The troll umbrella stand was a pile ashes as were the umbrellas that once resided in it.

"Cripes," Oliver gaped. "Do you think the rest of the place is like this?"

"I don't know," Hailey gulped, eyeing the hangings which covered the portrait of Sirius' mom. "Figures they get everything but that."

"You don't think she's…" Ginny frowned at the hangings and. "Do you think the portrait is still there?"

"It was hung with a permanent sticking spell," Hailey sighed. "Somehow I doubt they would have went through the trouble of taking it down."

"They probably left it up so she could scream some more," Ginny grumbled.

"What on Earth are you two gibbering on about?" Draco asked.

"There's a portrait of Sirius' mum hung behind those," Hailey pointed at the hangings and gave a snort. "If you open them, she screams and yells with such force that it takes forever to get the stupid things closed again."

"Why don't you burn it down?" Oliver suggested.

"I think they tried but it didn't work," Ginny shrugged. "They almost set the wall on fire instead. That, and Kreacher threw a fit- he's very dedicated to his old Mistress."

"Speaking of, where is he?" Hailey wondered aloud. She remembered seeing him at the final battle but he wasn't among the final losses. "Kreacher!"

A moment passed as the group moved to kitchen and they were just passing through the doorway when Kreacher appeared with a loud 'pop'.

"Master-" Kreacher paused, a stunned silence taking root as he looked at Hailey.

Hailey took the moment to glance around the kitchen and she grimaced as she saw the damage. One end of the table was standing up right but the other side was resting on the floor from where the legs had broken off. There was a crack down the center, but not deep enough for the table to be broken. Pieces of pots and pans littered the floor from where they were blown apart, utensils were sticking out of the walls, and there were even more scorch marks all over the room. The cabinet that once held the dishes was on its side, one door hung off its hinges and the other was completely gone. There were signs of the dishes but somehow Hailey figured they were among the splintered pieces lining the floor.

"I think we may end up ordering in like Muggles do," She frowned. "I'm half afraid to see what the bedrooms look like."

At the sound of her voice, Kreacher seemed to recover and quickly gathered himself as he bowed. "That is not needed, Mistress," He told her. "I was with the Weasley woman and she says that she and the others will be coming for dinner. She says she will be bringing the food."

"That's one thing at least," Ginny sighed. "Well, I guess we better go see what the rooms look like."

Hailey nodded but turned back to Kreacher first. "Kreacher, start cleaning up in here so we have somewhere to eat when the Weasleys arrive."

Kreacher gave another bow before he began picking up the pieces on the floor. Oliver glanced around the room and shook his head again before he motioned everyone else to go on. "I'll repair the table and cabinet and see what else I can do to help in here."

Hailey nodded before she left, leading the others through the house as she assessed the damage. The lower and upper drawing rooms were both trashed, the furniture broken into pieces, some of it just piles of ashes, the drapes were slashed and burnt in places, the windows were broken out, and there were holes blasted into the floor. The only thing that managed to go untouched was the Black Family Tree, the only scorch marks being those that Mrs. Black inflicted.

All of the bedrooms sustained just as much damage as the sitting rooms and hall. The bed frames were a mass of splintered wood, the beds laying flat on the floor, the tapestries were shredded, windows broken, the walls had holes blown into them, the mirrors were shattered, and the dressers were thrown onto their sides. The bathrooms were just as bad. The sinks were all ripped from the walls, the toilets pulled up out of the floor, and the tubs were simply blown into pieces where they sat. Nothing escaped damage and every single area of the house was covered in scorch marks as if the Death Eaters had gone through and waved their wands around, blasting at random.

Once the tour was done, everyone moved back into the kitchen where Oliver and Kreacher were righting the benches and arranging them around the fixed table. They all filed in and sat down, the Malfoys took one side and Oliver, Ginny, and Hailey took the other. Hailey rested an ankle on her knee, earning a frown from Ginny, but she ignored it as she eased Teddy down. The dress was pulled tight over her legs and with her legs crossed, it formed a perfect cradle for the baby rest.

Teddy grinned up at her and squirmed a little, but otherwise he remained calm as Hailey and the others began discussing what needed to be done.

"I've got to admit, I was expecting to find a mess," Hailey admitted, "But this is a bit more than I thought it was going to be."

"Look at this way," Ginny offered, "At least we won't have to deal with enchanted items trying to kill us."

"I don't know, we never actually went through Regalus' room or his and Sirius' mum's room either." Hailey looked over at Ginny and pulled a face. "With those two being active supporters, albeit Regalus did change in the end, but there is still no telling what we'll find in their rooms."

"We certainly have our work cut out for us," Oliver stated, looking around the room once more. "We're going to need to repair all of the walls."

"We'll need some wood to repair the stairs and a few of the floors," Ginny added.

"Not to mention all of the bathrooms will need completely fixed," Hailey groused. "It looks like they had a right grand time blowing all of them up."

"You will need to fix the bedroom furnishings as well," Narcissa spoke quietly. "They should be simple enough to fix however."

Hailey nodded as she shifted in her seat. Her leg was beginning to fall asleep but she did not want to move it and chance waking Teddy. "They're still habitable at least. There are seven bedrooms in total when I counted. I have Sirius' room and I think I'm going to give Kreacher the room that belonged to Regalus. Mrs. Black's room is a good size and it was cleaned after Buckbeak so you two can stay in there," Hailey offered to Draco's parents who nodded graciously. She began cataloging all of the rooms to see what was left. "Okay, so that puts you two on the second floor with three more empty rooms, leaving two other rooms on the third floor with me and Kreacher."

"Me, Ron, and Hermione will stay in the rooms we did before so that accounts for one on each floor," Ginny offered. "Me and Hermione were in the room by Regalus' and Ron will be in the first bedroom to the right on the second floor."

"I guess I'll take the room beside Ron," Oliver stated before looking at Draco. "That leaves a room on either floor for you."

Draco shrugged his shoulders and looked from Hailey to Ginny. "Didn't you say that George would be staying here as well?"

Ginny nodded solemnly and flicked Hailey a glance. "He and Fred were in the room beside Sirius."

"I'll just take whatever room he doesn't," Draco said, shrugging as if it were nothing. "Not like we have anything to unpack."

"True. All of our things won't get here until tomorrow from Hogwarts. Until then, we have plenty to do. The drawing rooms are full of broken furniture, some of it can be repaired but to be honest, I think I want to get new ones."

"Mum will probably have the boys help clean when they arrive so it won't take us long to get it sorted out," Ginny smiled. "You can see then what you want to keep and what you want to toss. It is your house now."

Hailey nodded but looked down at Teddy. It may be her house now, but the house had once belonged to Sirius too. Everything in it was from when Sirius was a child and she hated to get rid of any of it, but at the same time everything in the house belonged to a dark wizarding family who supported Voldemort. She had learned from her first summer here that a number of items were dangerous and life-threatening.

"Sirius wouldn't care if you tossed everything in here," Ginny murmured lowly, leaning in to Hailey as she spoke. "He said the only things he had that were worth keeping were the things that he carried with him and the people who surrounded him."

"Yea, but this was still his home," She shrugged, not liking it as everyone gave her varying looks of pity. "He may not have liked it much, but this was still his home. Outside of Hogwarts and the Burrow, this is the only place that's ever even felt close to being home for me and that was mainly because Sirius was here. With him gone, it's…" Hailey frowned as she tried to articulate what she meant. "Seeing what the house was like when he lived here, having things looking the way the last time we were all together, it makes it feel like he's still around. If I get rid of everything, I fear that I'll be getting rid of him too. Do you know what I mean?"

"Not yet, but I haven't been home since Fred…" Ginny paled and shrugged as she skirted over saying the dreaded word. "Things are bound to be different without him but things are still going to keep moving along. George will continue to run the joke shop and mum will keep worrying over him, more now that he's there alone, and the house will no doubt be quieter. But Fred wouldn't want us holding on so tightly, he's more the mind to say let go and live on. I'm sure Sirius feels the same way."

"Yea, he has all his mates back, don't he?" Draco spoke, looking around the table hesitantly as he joined the private conversation. When Hailey just frowned at him, he shrugged. "I heard Wormtail muttering with Snape a while back."

"He's right," Ginny poked her in the side. "Sirius, Lupin, and your father were all mates since childhood."

"So was Peter Pettigrew," Hailey reminded. "They were the ones who made the Marauder's map. Pettigrew may have betrayed my parents years back, but at the Malfoy's manor, he let us go and Voldemort killed him for it."

"So see, all four of them are back together again," Ginny smiled widely. "They're probably causing all types of trouble now that there reunited."

"Maybe," Hailey smiled. "Sirius and my dad were usually good for causing trouble. Pettigrew would simply watch to see what was going to happen while Lupin watched to make sure they never went too far."

"Much like how you and Ron are always getting into trouble while Hermione supervises," Oliver laughed.

"Yea, it is, isn't it?" Hailey laughed. "Sirius and dad were always getting into trouble and most of the time it was because of something they did to Snape. Lupin would always keep an eye on them and Dumbledore had hoped he'd keep them in line, but he never did. The whole thing drove my mum mad. She actually hated my dad until their seventh year when he started playing nice."

"Did she really?" Ginny perked up and faced Hailey. "So your parents actually used to hate each other until they began dating their seventh year?"

"Yea, it's a right good story the way that Sirius and Lupin tell it," Hailey laughed.

"This place is a freaking mess!"

Hailey jerked around only to smile a moment later as she recognized Ron and George, followed moments later by Percy and Charlie.

"We think the Death Eaters had a little party after they found out about this place," Hailey sighed.

"Bloody hell," Ron gaped, looking around the room which was still pretty torn up despite Oliver and Kreacher's attempt to clean it. "What does the rest of the place look like?"

"Worse," Oliver smiled. "The bathrooms are completely gone and the only things still in piece are the mattresses, that old portrait, and the family tree mural in the drawing room."

"Of course they'd leave the cursed portrait," Ron grumbled. "I won't doubt if she was actually nice to them either. The old hag does nothing but scream if she sees any of us."

"Who wouldn't scream after looking at your ugly mug?" George joked, pushing Ron playfully. "It's a wonder Hermione waited for you as long as she did."

"I'm surprised she hasn't come to her senses yet and dumped the bloke," Charlie grinned.

"She wouldn't do that to me," Ron glared at his older brothers as he sat beside Hailey. "She loves me," He grinned.

"More the fool," George laughed, taking the seat beside Oliver.

Percy laughed loudly as he sat beside George, making Charlie take the seat beside Draco.

"You three stop teasing your brother," Mrs. Weasley scolded her older boys as she came bustling into the room with trays of food following in her wake. She gave Hailey a harried smile as she waved the food towards the table and went around to enclose her in ahug. "Hello, Hailey, dear. How are you and the little one doing?"

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Hailey smiled as she tried to return the hug while holding a steadying hand over Teddy. "We're doing good so far. He dozed off about an hour ago."

"Perfect timing then," The woman smiled as Mr. Weasley came into the room.

"Hello Hailey, Oliver," He greeted them, casting an eye around the room before he settled on the Malfoys. He looked startled to see them there but quickly recovered. "Hello, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco. I didn't realize you three were here as well."

"Yes, well, Miss Potter here invited us to stay after she learned that the Ministry had seized our properties," Mr. Malofy said coolly, looking Mr. Weasley straight in the eye.

"Well, with all of the Death Eaters who escaped, the Ministry really had no choice," Mr. Weasley tried to defend. "Your house- it was a well used meeting place so it naturally- it had to be- the Minister felt it would be an ideal place for the escaped Death Eaters to flee to."

"And how did that turn out for him?"

"It is still too early to tell," Mr. Weasley blushed a deep red that went up to light up the little bald patch on his head.

"Enough you two," Mrs. Weasley glared. "We are here to have a nice dinner and to see what we can do to help tonight."

"She is right, dear," Narcissa spoke quietly to her husband. "Hailey was nice enough to let us stay with her and we really do not want to ruin such a nice meal, now do we?"

Draco looked between his parents and Hailey glanced at Ron and Ginny on either side of her as she saw his look of confusion. It was obvious that Mrs. Malfoy rarely stood up to her husband. Ginny and Ron, and all of the Weasleys it seemed, picked up on this as well and she noticed a few grins had to be bitten back at the exchange.

"Molly, this dinner smells wonderful. You'll have to tell me the recipe so I can pass it to our house elves once we return home," Narcissa smiled.

The rest of the evening went by relatively smoothly as everyone ate and Hailey had to laugh as all of the Weasley boys and Oliver teamed up to pick on Ron about him and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley showed Hailey how to feed and burp Teddy, she was a bit hesitant at first but once she got the hang of it she relaxed. Before long, she found herself leaning across the table to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well as the Malfoys about her plans for the house.

There really was a lot of damage to be repaired but as she listened to the four parents talking, especially Mrs. Weasley who was used to having to patch holes from where Fred and George's experiments had gone wrong, she realized that it was not so bad. The holes could all be repaired easily and after dinner they walked through the house and much of the furniture was repairable, though she decided to get new furniture for the drawing rooms in the end. She also thought about getting some muggle paint to add some color to the house, mainly something bright and colorful to cover up the family tree. It was past time for that to be gone. Mr. Weasley was taken with the idea of painting the house and before long he was lost in his own world.

Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Malfoy both agreed to go shopping with Hailey the next day for furniture and while they all talked, the men got to work on repairing what they could. In the end, the beds were restored to their original condition, as were the stairs, and the walls were blast free. It was late before the Weasleys took their leave, Ron, Ginny, and George being the only ones to stay, and they were all tired from their work and were more than ready for sleep. They all trotted off to bed and Hailey was more than grateful when she was able to collapse on her bed. She set up a nest of pillows for Teddy to slip in beside her and she smiled as he stretched in his sleep, a small sigh escaping as he settled down.

All in all, not too bad a day for it having started with a funeral and her gaining a child.


	9. Notice

**A/N: **Alright, so I know we're not supposed to make a ch. dedicated strictly to A/N's but I figure I should go ahead and let everyone know that a number of my stories are being put on a (hopefully) short hiatus. My younger brother thought it would just be so hilarious to steal my flashdrive when he visited during New Years and he has yet to return it despite me having lifted his MW3 game and purposely letting him be raped n butchered. Sadly, my entire collection of stories is on there and I don't have the newer chapters backuped so, until he returns it, no new chapters. I apologize profusely and I swear I will teach the little punk a lesson the next time he comes to visit.


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